NPP meets over 7 aspirants

Leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will today meet to decide on modalities for its upcoming flagbearership elections after the closing of nominations on Monday.

Seven people have thrown their hats into the ring for the race to lead the party.

A source at the party’s Asylum Down headquarters told DAILY GUIDE the meeting of the Steering Committee of the National Executives would, among other things, deliberate on the possible timetable for the elections at a special delegates’ congress before the main congress later in the year.

The seven presidential candidates are the 2012 Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; former Trade Minister, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku; MP for Asuogyaman, Kofi Osei-Ameyaw; MP for Essikado Ketan and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Ghartey; former MP for Mfantseman West, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, popularly known as Asabee; former Trade Minister Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen and Francis Addai Nimo, MP for Mampong.

General Secretary of the party Kwabena Agyepong had earlier dropped the hint of today’s meeting to examine the processes that would lead to the eventual selection of a presidential candidate for the party.

The decision of the Steering Committee would then be sent to the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Council for ratification.

Even before then, the Steering Committee is expected to send proposed names for the composition of members of the five Standing Committees of the party namely, Legal and Constitutional, Disciplinary, Organisation, Research and Finance committees.

Chairpersons of the aforementioned Standing Committees are automatic members of the Vetting Committee which is chaired by the Chairman of the Council of Elders, C.K. Tedam.

But the tenure of the existing Vetting Committee has expired, hence the need for the composition of a new one to vet the seven candidates.

Not less than five individuals make up the membership of any of the five Standing Committees.

Until the composition and subsequent approval of new members of the five Standing Committees by the party’s National Executive Committee and the National Council, the latter may have to extend the mandate of the existing Vetting Committee to undertake the vetting of the seven flagbearer aspirants before they head for the special delegates’ congress to downsize the number of aspirants to five as prescribed by the NPP Constitution.

The Steering Committee is also expected to deliberate on other burning issues in the party, including the appointment of deputies to some of the newly elected national executives.

Somewhere last week, a list of proposed names for the various deputy positions started making the rounds on various social media platforms.

Moments after the list had gone viral, it provoked a quick response from some of the National Executives who asked party faithful and members of the public to disregard it. According to them, nothing of the sort had been approved by the Steering Committee, let alone approved by the National Executive Committee and the National Council.

Even though some names were said to have been presented to the Steering Committee by the concerned national officers as their deputies, a source at the NPP headquarters said a concrete decision had not been taken on any of them. Today’s meeting is therefore expected to make some headway in appointing deputies.