By Mavis Paintsil, Legon
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) reaches a potential watershed moment in Accra today, as over 5,000 delegates converge on the capital to take critical decisions at the party’s Extraordinary National Delegates Conference.
The one-day conference is expected to run into the evening.
Conspicuously, posters and images of presidential candidate aspirants are missing around the venue as the party enforces the ban on campaigning.
As of the morning of yesterday, the University of Ghana Stadium grounds were literally covered in the party’s red, white and blue colours, while personnel of the Ghana Police Service had arranged barricades at various entrance and exit points at the venue as part of the security measures.
Delegates attending the event have been arriving from all corners of the country during the week, with preparations reaching fever pitch as the final organisational arrangements neared completion yesterday.
The party, which only left power in January this year, is expected to make drastic amendments to its constitution, including a proposal to expand the base of delegates who can vote to elect the party’s presidential candidate.
The final preparations included bits about security, stage setup, public address system and accreditation processing.
The Legon-Madina highway from the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange had flags that bore the pictures of Dr J.B. Danquah and S.D. Dombo, both founding figures of the United Party (UP) tradition, from which the NPP traces its roots, as well as Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, Prime Minister of the Second Republic; former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, both of the Fourth Republic, and former Vice-President Aliu Mahama.
Conspicuously, posters and images of presidential candidate aspirants are missing around the venue as the party enforces the ban on campaigning.
The Secretary to the party’s Constitution Amendment Committee, Iddi Muhayu-Deen, revealed that the proposals for amendment were drawn from three documents, including the Prof. Mike Oquaye’s report, a 2021 constitution review committee report, and new proposals from party members and identifiable groups.
The NPP seeks to unite its faithful through the recognition of past and current leaders
Mr Muhayu-Deen also mentioned that while the ideal situation would be to adopt a “one-man one-vote system”, the party was not yet ready for such a system due to logistical and financial constraints.
Instead, he said, the committee had proposed a limited expansion of the Electoral College.
“The ideal situation, according to Oquaye’s report, and even from what we are also presenting, is to allow for one member, one vote in the selection of parliamentary candidates and presidential candidates. However, as we speak now, the party does not have that foundational framework to roll out that policy immediately,” Mr Muhayu-Deen, he added.
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