Aspirants don't determine date and venue - NPP General Secretary on decentralised special congress

General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is Justin Kodua Frimpong.
According to Justin Kodua Frimpong, the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the decisions about the dates and locations of the presidential primary elections are made by the National Council of the party, and not by the aspirants themselves.

In spite of this, he stated that because the party is so tolerant of its members' opinions, any and all recommendations are welcome.

However, he highlighted that the National Council has the authority to make the ultimate decision.

Mr. Kodua Frimpong made these remarks after the Council upheld its decision to host the National Congress by the Special Electoral College at a number of different locations across the country.

It was reported that nine out of the ten candidates for flagbearer had petitioned the National Council for the exercise that was scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 26 to be centralised.

According to their petition, which was obtained by 3news.com on Wednesday night, they desired to have the chance to address all of the delegates who are anticipated to vote in this first round of the selection process for the party's flagbearer in 2024.

In addition to this, they stated that it would be a waste of resources to organise the elections in 16 different regions when it is possible to gather fewer than one thousand people at one location for the activity.

During the Assin North by-election, the Electoral Commission responded negatively to allegations made by the NDC over the addition of illegal names to the voters' register.

At the meeting on Thursday, it is said that the topic was put to a vote, and the result was to keep things the same as they are now.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, the General Secretary of the NPP addressed the media and stated that although the party is accepting of dissenting opinions, the National Council is the body responsible for making decisions about the timing and location of presidential primary elections.

"This is the beauty of the internal democracy that our party has. We are tolerant of various points of view, and I recall that one of the most important things that was discussed at the National Council was that it does not even matter if all ten of the aspirants had signed a document stating that they wanted the event to take place at a single location, as he explained it.

"The National Council would have proceeded in the same manner to make its own conclusion even in that case.

Therefore, it will not be the candidates who choose where the elections will take place. The National Council is the body that makes the decision. You are free to make requests, but keep in mind that those requests may be granted or denied.

Additionally, Justin Kodua Frimpong disclosed that an Election Committee has been established to supervise the primaries, and that Rev. Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye will serve as the committee's chair.