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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) reaches a potential watershed moment in Accra today, as over 5,000 delegates converge on the capital to take critical decisions at the party’s Extraordinary National Delegates Conference.
The party, which only left power in January this year, is expected to make drastic amendments to its constitution, including a proposal to expand the base of delegates who can vote to elect the party’s presidential candidate.
Delegates attending the event have been arriving from all corners of the country during the week, with preparations reaching fever pitch as the final organisational arrangements neared completion yesterday.
The final preparations included bits about security, stage setup, public address system and accreditation processing.
As of the morning of yesterday, the University of Ghana Stadium grounds were literally covered in the party’s red, white and blue colours, while personnel of the Ghana Police Service had arranged barricades at various entrance and exit points at the venue as part of the security measures.
The Legon-Madina highway from the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange had flags that bore the pictures of Dr J.B. Danquah and S.D. Dombo, both founding figures of the United Party (UP) tradition, from which the NPP traces its roots, as well as Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, Prime Minister of the Second Republic; former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, both of the Fourth Republic, and former Vice-President Aliu Mahama.
Conspicuously, posters and images of presidential candidate aspirants are missing around the venue as the party enforces the ban on campaigning.
The one-day conference is expected to run into the evening.
The Secretary to the party's Constitution Amendment Committee, Iddi Muhayu-Deen, revealed that the proposals for amendment were drawn from three documents, including the Prof. Mike Oquaye's report, a 2021 constitution review committee report, and new proposals from party members and identifiable groups.
The NPP seeks to unite its faithful through the recognition of past and current leaders
Mr Muhayu-Deen also mentioned that while the ideal situation would be to adopt a “one-man one-vote system”, the party was not yet ready for such a system due to logistical and financial constraints.
Instead, he said, the committee had proposed a limited expansion of the Electoral College.
"The ideal situation, according to Oquaye's report, and even from what we are also presenting, is to allow for one member, one vote in the selection of parliamentary candidates and presidential candidates. However, as we speak now, the party does not have that foundational framework to roll out that policy immediately," Mr Muhayu-Deen said.
The NPP's Director of Communications, Richard Ahiagbah, told the Daily Graphic that the conference venue would be tightly secured, with delegates seated according to regions in the stands at the stadium.
He said one of the key motions to be considered at the conference was the expansion of the party's electoral college.
Mr Ahiagbah explained that the proposed expansion would include all Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1996 onwards, all metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) who had served the party, and all former executives of the party.
Additionally, he said, the proposal would seek to increase the number of polling station executives and electoral area coordinators.
"The expansion that is being proposed will also include all who had been MPs before. It will include all MMDCEs. The MPs from 1996 onwards.
The MMDCEs, whoever has been an MMDCE for us before. All our former executives — regional constituency, polling stations — will be included in the college now," Mr Ahiagbah said.
The Director of Communications gave an assurance that everything was set for the conference, with delegates arriving from various parts of the world, including the USA, Canada and UK.
"As you can see, we are preparing full steam ahead. It's a matter of time here. Everything will be set," he said.
Mr Ahiagbah clarified that the date for the election of the party's presidential candidate was not on the conference agenda, dispelling speculations about potential changes.
"That one has not come up. It's not a matter before the conference," he said.
With preparations at an advanced stage as of yesterday, it was evident that the supposed court injunction intended to halt the conference had not been properly triggered.
“We have not been served, and as planning committee members, we are going ahead,” the Chairman of the conference planning committee, Joseph Osei Owusu, said.
“If there’s going to be any changes, it will come from the General Secretary.
“As of now, we are going ahead with our preparations,” he added.
