A founder-member of the main opposition New Patriotic Party, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, has suggested that endorsements by the party’s Members of Parliament could be used to cut down the number of flagbearer aspirants who put themselves up for election.
The former Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament believes this could save the party the trouble of having to cut down the number of aspirants through a mini congress before the main event, if the number of hopefuls exceeds the cap of 5.
“It could even be part of our regulations that any person who wants to be our presidential candidate in future should be endorsed. Members of Parliament are the representatives of all the people that the NPP has approved of and if you cannot even get 20 percent endorsement among them, then please don’t come and waste our time,” Prof Ocquaye proposed.
His suggestion comes on the back of MP Shirley Ayokor Botchwey’s assertion a couple of days ago that about 100 NPP MPs are backing the flagbearer aspirations of two-time presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
So far, seven people have picked nomination forms for the presidential primaries.
They include Nana Akufo-Addo; former trades Minister Alan Kyeremanten; Esikado-Ketan MP Joe Ghartey; former MP for Offinso North, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku; MP for Assuogyaman, Mr Kofi Osei Ameyaw; former Information Minister, Stephen Asamoah Boateng and the MP for Mampong, Francis Addai Nimoh. The aspirants are paying Ghc10, 000 for picking the nomination forms and will pay Ghc75,000 as filing fees.
Others expected to also pick nomination forms include former Subin MP Isaac Osei and heart surgeon Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng.
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