NPP National Council Issues Far-reaching Guidelines For Primaries

The National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has issued its guidelines for the conduct of the party's presidential and parliamentary primaries for the 2024 General Elections, emphasizing, among other things, that no Metropolitan, Municipal, or District Chief Executive (MMDCE) is eligible to challenge an incumbent NPP Member of Parliament (MP).

According to a press release dated July 24, 2023 and signed by the party's General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong, the National Council met on July 20 and, after much deliberation, established the rules for the conduct of the party's presidential primaries and parliamentary primaries in Constituencies with sitting Members of Parliament (MPs).

Principal among the resolutions is that no Metropolitan Municipal or District Chief Executive (MMDCE) is qualified to challenge incumbent NPP MPs, and that regional and constituency executives must resign if they wish to run in the NPP primaries.

"Regional and Constituency Party Executives who desire to run in the primaries in constituencies with sitting Members of Parliament must resign by September 20, 2023... Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in constituencies with incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) are ineligible to run in the constituency's Parliamentary primaries, according to a press release.

The party also announced that the National Council has authorized the Vetting Committee's recommendations for the presidential candidates.

The statement then cautioned presidential candidates who have been authorized to compete in the super delegate election to refrain from making further negative remarks and statements about the party.