The nine-member vetting committee of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), tasked to vet the party’s presidential aspirants, has submitted its report to the party after concluding its work.
The committee, which was chaired by Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, a former Speaker of Parliament, submitted the report at the party’s headquarters in Accra yesterday at the end of the exercise last Thursday.
The ruling NPP on July 1, this year, inaugurated a nine-member vetting committee for the party’s presidential primary slated for November 4, 2023.
Other members
Members of the committee were Kwasi Amoako-Attah, Stephen Abankwa Sekyere, Osei Bonsu Amoah, Lord Oblitey Commey, Frank Davies, Rita Talata Asobayire; Hackman Owusu Agyeman and Adelaide Ahwireng.
The party also appointed Mr Amoah, the Member of Parliament for Akuapem North and a member of the Vetting Committee, as spokesperson for the committee and Evans Nimako, Director of Research and Elections of the party, as secretary to the committee.
The committee was tasked to oversee the vetting of the 10 presidential aspirants of the party from July 3 to 6, 2023.
The team was selected by the National Steering Committee during a meeting held on May 30, 2023.
Report
Mr Amoah, said the committee had finished its work and that the party, in due time, would announce the content of the report.
He declined to comment on the content of the report, claiming that, that was not part of the work of the committee.
For him, once the committee had submitted its report, its work had ended.
Flag bearer aspirants
The flag bearer aspirants who went through the vetting process were Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; a former Minister of Trade and Industry, John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen; Energy expert, Kwadwo Poku; a former Minister of Regional Cooperation and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku; a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto; and a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Joe Ghartey.
The rest are a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Mampong Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Francis Addai-Nimoh; a former Energy Minister, Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko; MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, and a former NPP General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong.
Revised timelines
Per the party’s revised timelines for its internal elections, a steering committee meeting has been fixed for today, July 11, 2023 for the publication of the vetting report.
It subsequently fixed July 12 to 14, 2023 for submission of any petitions to the National Presidential Appeals Committee, which would also sit on July 17 and July 18, 2023 to address any petitions.
The National Council and the National Executive Committee meeting has been fixed for July 20, 2023 to adopt the report, while the list of qualified presidential aspirants would be published on July 21, 2023.
Balloting for positions on the ballot paper will come off on Monday, July 24, while the first notice of poll is scheduled for Tuesday, July 25, 2023.
If the qualified candidates exceed five, a Special Electoral College will be held on August 26, 2023, to prune the number to five.
Fresh balloting of the final five qualified candidates will come off on August 28, 2023 with the final notice of poll fixed for August 31, 2023 and the national congress to elect the flag bearer will be on November 4, 2023, while a run-off, if any, is scheduled for November 11, 2023.
SOURCE: GraphicOnline
