If the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is to strictly abide by the new provision in its amended constitution, which states that members aspiring to the party’s flagbearership should file their nomination papers, six clear months before its congress, perhaps the party will go into the 2004 election battle, without a presidential candidate.

But the Chairman of the party, Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, in explaining the dearth of filed nominations by interested parties said prospective candidates for the party’s primaries have not filed their nominations because the party is yet to work out acceptable modalities for the congress. Until such a time that matters concerning the working modalities are finalized, the NDC could not fix a date for its congress.

He said “there were proposed amendments in 2001 with the expectation that our 5th National Delegates Congress would have been held in December 2001 by which time there would have been enough time to sort out all modalities for the primaries. The December 2001 primaries could not come on as scheduled hence the adoption of amendments to the NDC’s constitution at a later date during the party’s 5th National Delegates Congress in April where new party executives were elected”.

The NDC chairman explained that with the sudden postponement of the Congress from December last year to April this year, the party could not have enough time to work out modalities for the conduct of the primaries. The National Executive Council (NEC) adopted a constitutional provision at one of its meeting last year that people wishing to stand as presidential candidates should do so within a six month period to the holding of a congress to pick a presidential candidates should do so within a six month period to the holding of a congress to pick a presidential candidate.

This was done within a larger constitutional framework that the party elect a flagbearer 24 months ahead of general elections. Investigations have revealed that the party should have opened registration for prospective candidates by the beginning of July, but as at the time of this report no party member had yet to file his/her nomination and through the party’s headquarters grapevine, it is clear that the exercise will not come on unless certain modalities are worked out.