The National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has dismissed a petition by nine aspirants proposing that the party’s August 26 election be centralized.

The nine flagbearer hopefuls excluding Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia argued that a centralized election would be more efficient and transparent.

They insisted that plans to allow only 900 delegates to vote at the regional level do not sit well with them.

However, the National Council at a crunch meeting on Thursday, July 20, 2023, rejected the petition resolving to implement what is in the party’s constitution.

Addressing journalists, General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Koduah said the party will go ahead with its planned decentralised election.

The NPP will on August 26th cut down the list of its presidential aspirants from 10 to five as stipulated in its constitution.

The party says a new register will be needed for the register since some of the delegates had passed.

Justin Koduah had earlier assured that the new register will be out by the end of the week.

“We are in the final stage of doing the compilation. Basically, we are not going to exceed 1000 so between 900 and 1000 delegates will form the special electoral college.”

“Some of the founding members have died, so we have to take their names out. We also have to look at past national officers. I am sure before the week ends we should have the final list for the special delegates’ election,” he stated.

Bawumia spokesperson backs his boss

Meanwhile, Miracles Dennis Aboagye, a spokesperson of Dr. Bawumia has clarified that his boss was not against the petition by the remaining nine flagbearer hopefuls.

Speaking in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM in Accra on Thursday, Mr Aboagye said the Vice President was indifferent and would respect any decision of the party’s National Council.

“The Vice President’s position is to accede to whatever guidelines and decision that the National Council will come up with. The Vice President is indifferent,” he stated.