#NPP decides: Delegates lay siege, refuse to leave voting area as EC withholds counting ballot

Voting for the next batch of executives at the ongoing New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Delegates Conference has ended without any controversy, but counting of the ballots cannot go on as the delegates have refused to leave the inner perimeter where voting took place.

As a result, officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) have pulled the brakes on any form of collation until all delegates are cleared from the voting arena.

Per the rules of the conference, only an aspirant or candidate, the spouse or his or her agent, are required to still be within the inner perimeter.

But for nearly two hours, the NPP delegates, after voting have refused to budge.

Notwithstanding persistent pleadings from the MC and other leading figures of the NPP, these delegates are still holding the next phase of the conference to ransom.

Fatigue has also set in among the observer teams and even some media personnel as well, as a result of this impasse.

After hours of waiting and some cajoling, the patience of the NPP leadership appears to be running thin as the MC has finally asked the Police to move in and forcefully drive anyone who has no business in the inner perimeter away.

Due to the delay in collating the figures to ascertain the winners and losers, there is a lengthy period of musical interlude for calm to be restored.

It's after 11pm and there is still no sign of the ballot collation.

Currently, voting in all the constituencies has ended save the youth delegates of the party who are still voting.