Ahead of the 2020 general elections, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has issued guidelines and modalities for persons who would like to contest for positions in constituencies where the party does not have sitting.
In statement signed by the General Secretary, John Boadu warned all aspiring candidates to strictly adhere to the rules of engagement or risk being sanctioned or disqualified for flouting any of the directives.
Giving details of the guidelines, the party’s General Secretary said NPP will open nominations for aspiring parliamentary candidates from July 20 to 3rd August with the primaries scheduled for September 28.
All aspiring parliamentary candidates, the statement added, shall procure nomination forms after payment of non-refundable application fee of GH¢2,000 in bankers draft at the party’s headquarters in Accra.
Read below the full statement concerning the guidelines and modalities from the party’s General Secretary.
Press Release
NPP OUTINES GUIDELINES AND MODALITIES FOR THE CONDUCT OF THE PARTY’S PARLIAMENTARY PRIMARIES IN ‘ORPHAN CONSTITUENCIES’
The NPP wishes to bring to the attention of all stakeholders and the general public that the party’s national steering committee, at its meeting on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, considered and approved the following guidelines and modalities for the conduct of the party’s parliamentary primaries in constituencies where the party does not have sitting members of parliament (i.e. orphan constituencies) ahead of the 2020 parliamentary elections.
The meeting of the national steering committee was consequent to the directives of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party which met on July 1, 2019, pursuant to Article 12 and 13 of the party constitution, at which meeting NEC tasked the National Steering Committee to come out with guidelines and modalities for the conduct of the party’s parliamentary and presidential primaries. These are the approved guidelines and modalities:
1) The party shall hold parliamentary primaries on 28th SEPTEMBER, 2019 for orphan constituencies simultaneously across the country
2) Nominations shall open on 20th July, 2019 and close on 3rd August, 2019
3) An Aspiring Parliamentary Candidate (APC) shall procure Nomination Forms after the payment of non-refundable application fee of GHC2,000.00 in Bankers Draft in favour of the NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, ACCRA.
4) To successfully file his/her nomination filing nomination, an APC shall pay a non-refundable filing fee of Twenty Thousand Ghana cedis (GHC20,000.00) in Bankers Draft in favour of the NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, ACCRA
5) However, for purposes of encouraging more Women, Youth and Physically Challenged Persons (PCP) to aspire to higher political office, such prospective aspiring parliamentary candidates will enjoy a rebate of 50% on the filing fees. (This means they will be required to pay a refundable filing fee of Ten Thousand Ghana Cedis – GHc 10.000)
6) No APC shall be denied access to purchase Nomination Forms
7) In the event that a prospective aspiring candidate is denied access to purchase Nomination Forms at the Constituency Level, he/she may do so either at the Regional Office or at National Secretariat through an appeal.
8) An APC shall submit his/her Nomination forms to the Constituency Parliamentary Elections Committee for endorsement and certification, and then to the Regional Secretariat for endorsement and certification. The Regional Secretariat shall thereupon be required to submit all such Forms to the National Secretariat for final endorsement and certification by the General Secretary.
9) Should an APC suffer any obstruction in the final filing process at the Constituency Level, he or she may file at the Regional Secretariat or National Secretariat at the office of the General Secretary.
10) The Constituency Secretary shall publish, at the close of nomination, list of all applicants who have successfully filed their nominations to contest in the primaries.
11) A Constituency Parliamentary Elections Committee (CPEC) shall be established comprising;
a. The chairperson of the Constituency Council of Elders as Chair;
b. An elderly woman in the Constituency appointed by the Constituency Executive Committee (CEC); and,
c. The Constituency Research and Elections Officer as Secretary to the Committee;
12) The duties of the Constituency Parliamentary Elections Committee (CPEC) shall include sale of Nominations Forms, conducting background checks on the suitability and eligibility of aspiring candidates and submitting reports to the National Parliamentary Vetting Committee (NPVC).
13) A National Parliamentary Vetting Committee (NPVC) shall be constituted for the purpose of vetting Aspiring Parliamentary Candidates (APCs) who intend to compete for selection/election as the Party’s parliamentary candidate in a particular constituency.
14) The National Parliamentary Vetting Committee (NPVC) shall comprise of the following;
a. One Representative appointed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) who shall be the Chairperson;
b. The Regional Secretary, who shall be the Secretary to the NPVC
c. One Representative from the Regional Executive Committee;
d. All three (3) members of the Constituency Parliamentary Election Committee (CPEC)
15) Vetting of aspiring parliamentary candidates shall be held from 10th August to 15th August, and the vetting report shall be submitted to NEC through the General Secretary not later than August 18, 2019
16) National Parliamentary Appeals Committee shall receive petitions from disgruntled or disqualified aspiring candidates from 20th August to 23rd August.
17) Notice of polls shall be published on 31st August, 2019
18) NEC, through the National Steering Committee, has appointed the following persons as NEC representatives and for that matter Chairpersons of the NPVC for the 16 regions:
i. Greater Accra Region – Hon. Nii Adu Mantey
ii. Ashanti Region – Rita Asobayire
iii. Western Region – Sammi Awuku
iv. Northern Region – Evans Nimako
v. Eastern Region – Hon. O.B Amoah
vi. Volta Region – F.F Antoh (Chairman) and Brigadier J. Odei
vii. North East Region – Emmamuel Attafour Danso
viii. Ahafo Region – Henry Nana Boakye
ix. Upper West Region – Omari Wadie
x. Bono Region – Henry Nana Boakye
xi. Western North Region – Kwadjo Afari
xii. Upper East Region – Nii Laryea Squire (Chairman) and Kwayaja Nganiba Joseph
xiii. Oti Region – Dr. Clifford Braimah
xiv. Bono-East Region – Nana Obiri Boahen
xv. Savanna Region- Kofi Marfo
xvi. Central Region – Hon. Ofori Asiamah
19) The Constituency Executive Committee and Regional Executive Committee members are observers during vetting session.
20) For purposes of this selection/election process, persons holding positions as constituency or regional executives who wish to contest in the primaries shall recuse themselves from their current positions throughout the selection/election process until the parliamentary primaries are over. Accordingly, such persons shall not attend the vetting session as observers.
21) No other person other than members of the Constituency and Regional Executive Committee shall be permitted to observe or witness the vetting session
22) It should be noted that an Aspiring Parliamentary Candidates (APC) shall be made to sign a contractual undertaking with the party, committing himself/herself to supporting whoever is eventually elected/selected as the party’s parliamentary after the selection/election process in the event that he/she is not elected/selected. He/she shall also undertake not to contest as Independent Parliamentary Candidate or as a Parliamentary Candidate on the ticket of any political party, and that, the NPP reserves the right to restrain him/her should he/she decide otherwise.
23) The National Executive Committee (NEC) has duly constituted a nine (9) member National Parliamentary Appeals Committee (NPAC)
24) The National Parliamentary Appeals Committee comprises the following members:
i. Hon. Peter Mac Manu – Chairperson
ii. Evans Nimako – Secretary
iii. Hon. Addo Kufour – Member
iv. Madam Elizabeth Ohene – Member
v. Hon. Cecelia Abena Dapaah – Member
vi. Hon. S.K. Boafo – Member
vii. Lawyer Gary Nimako – Member
viii. Lawyer Emmanuel Darko – Member
ix. Lawyer Joyce Opoku-Boateng – Member
25) The National Parliamentary Appeals Committee shall have the capacity to receive and resolve petitions that may be submitted by disqualified aspirant(s). An APC who is be dissatisfied with the vetting process and outcome thereof, may petition the National Appeals Committee for immediate redress.
26) The decision of the National Parliamentary Appointments Committee on the petition so submitted to it shall be communicated to the National Executive Committee through the General Secretary, which decision shall be final.
27) For the avoidance of doubt, no APC shall proceed to Court in respect of any matter regarding this election unless and until he/she has fully exhausted the internal redress procedures and mechanisms for resolving disputes in accordance with Article 4(8)(4) of the party’s constitution.
28) It shall be the duty of the NPVC to determine the venue for the Constituency primaries; ensure level playing field for all APCs in the constituency; organize security, venue and programme of activities for the polling day.
29) The photo Album/Register which was used to elect the Constituency Executives in February, 2018, shall be the same album that will be made available to the NPVC and the Electoral Commission of Ghana for the conduct of the parliamentary primaries.
30) Any delegate, who appoints a proxy, shall apply to the National Secretariat 2 weeks before the conduct of the parliamentary primaries.
31) Further details of these guidelines and modalities shall be attached to the Nomination Forms to be procured by the aspiring parliamentary candidates.
It should be noted that any aspiring candidate who flouts any of the above guidelines and modalities or conducts him/herself in a manner that brings the party’s name into disrepute shall be deemed to have breached Article 4(7) of the NPP constitution and will, accordingly, be sanctioned including being disqualified from contesting in the primaries.
Finally, while wishing all aspiring candidates the best of luck in the parliamentary primaries, the party hopes and anticipates these aspiring parliamentary candidates, together with their supporters, would adhere strictly to these rules of engagements.
John Boadu
General Secretary
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com
