Holding an early congress will affect government's business - Charles Owusu cautions NPP

Former Head of Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu, has said it will be disadvantageous to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to go into an early congress to elect its presidential and parliamentary candidates ahead of the 2024 general elections.

The National Council of NPP, on Thursday, February 2, 2023 met to decide on the date for their congress but the meeting ended inconclusively.

"The NPP has just concluded a successful NEC & NC meetings and the unified position is to enable broad consultations to achieve a consensus position on when to hold the Presidential & Parliamentary primaries Long live the NPP," National Communications Director of the party, Richard Ahiagbah tweeted about the meeting.

Reports indicate that the position of the party is to hold an early congress but the Presidency wants a late congress for the reason that it may shift attention from the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Addressing the matter during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" discussion programme, Charles Owusu, a former Head of Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, shared similar views with the Presidency.

To him, holding a late congress will ensure the President remains on cause without any political distractions from his party.

He advised the NPP to focus on helping the President and his government to ameliorate the plight of Ghanaians.

"When they do this early congress and elect their flagbearer, all the attention will shift to the leader that they think is coming to take over. It can also affect government business . . .So, I think the government in power for now, although I can't tell them when and how they should conduct their congress but what I will say is there is the government has work to do. The party is supposed to help the government to work. The focus should be now on how to put things in order and develop the nation," he asserted.