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Politics of Tuesday, 26 August 2014

Source: Daily Guide

Fear grips NPP aspirants

Six days to the epic Special Congress to select five out of the seven presidential aspirants for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), fear has gripped some of the contestants as the results from the overseas branches give emphatic endorsement to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the past standard bearer of the party.

The Electoral College will undertake this all-important political exercise on Sunday, August 31, 2014.

So far, polls conducted in countries like United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Denmark and Belgium among card-bearing members of the NPP, have all put two-time flagbearer of the party, Nana Akufo-Addo, way ahead of his challengers.

In the polls conducted in the Belgium and the Italy branches, Nana Addo had emphatic 100% of the votes cast, with Denmark and Germany giving him 99.5%, while Alan Kyerematen managed to get 0.5%, with the other contestants namely, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Joe Ghartey, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Kofi Osei Ameyaw and Francis Addai-Nimoh, not able to garner a single vote.

The United Kingdom chapter accorded him 92% while graciously dishing 8% to Alan Kyerematen and Stephen Asamoah-Boateng.

The rest recorded zero in all the chapter elections, which were held to elicit members’ opinion on whom they should vote for on Sunday.

However, the outcome of the polls has not gone down well with some of the aspirants who are challenging the legitimacy of the polls.

Analysts believe that the overseas voting pattern is just a dress rehearsal of what will happen on Sunday since most of the delegates believe that Nana Akufo-Addo should be maintained for the 2016 elections.

Spokesman for Alan, Nana Ohene-Ntow, who has been agitating for Akufo-Addo to step down for his boss, Kofi Osei Ameyaw and Francis Addai-Nimoh, had sought to discredit the results of the polls, saying they lacked merit.

Some have said that the polls being conducted in the external branches were likely to influence the voting pattern at the Special Delegates’ Congress and eventually reflect in the actual Congress to elect a flagbearer on October 18, 2014.

Results from the US polls were expected to come in last night.

But they were not likely to be significantly different from what had emerged from other external branches of the NPP

In all, NPP Germany has nine local chapters and with the exception of Berlin where Alan picked a vote, all the local chapters spread across the Federal Republic voted massively in favour of Nana Akufo-Addo.

“It should be pointed out that at its last congress in Dormund early this year, congress decided that all matters relating to the election of flagbearer SHALL be referred to members for discussion and determination.

“The rationale is to empower party members and also give them a sense of belonging and participation in the decision-making process.

“Thus, the internal elections that took place on Sunday is simply giving meaning and effect to the decision of congress which is the highest decision-making body of our party," a statement issued by the communications team said.

Meanwhile, the NPP has released a notice of poll for the Special Electoral College.

According to the notice, voting would take place throughout the 10 regions from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Article 12 (5) (b) of the party’s Constitution states that “…where there are more than five contestants for nomination as the party’s presidential candidate, a Special Electoral College shall cast their votes by secret ballot for the first five contestants to be shortlisted.”