NPP Regional Chairmen must allow due Process

We have read with dismay a press statement issued by some Regional Chairmen of our party calling for an early congress to elect our Flagbearer to lead our noble party into election 2016. They have proposed September as the month the congress should be held instead of December as stipulated in our constitution and being proposed by Steering Committee and National Executive Committee subject to the approval of National Council.

We are at a loss as to why the rush by these Regional Chairmen to push this agenda of theirs and pressure the newly elected national executives of our party. They stated in the release that in August 2010 we held an early congress so it could be done this year like we did in 2010. They also stated that to avoid insults and character assassination by supporters of the various contestants, early congress would be helpful. We humbly put forward our concerns to the chairmen and demand immediate attention from them.

1. Who did they consult in their various regions before coming out with such statements? Does the statement meet the demand of every member of the party in their various regions? We are reliably aware that none of these chairmen discussed this alien proposal with their regional executive committee

2. Have they read the Guidelines for elections and the constitution of the party and how such proposals are tabled in NPP? We need a united Party for victory 2016. These acts by the chairmen are alien and disastrous for our forward movement as a party. These chairmen are not ordinary members in the party and we expected them to resort to the appropriate party structure to send their proposal to the National Council. They took the oath of secrecy and to uphold the constitution before assumption of their various offices and we expected them to keep such matters from media and public attention, which puts the party in bad light.

3. The action of the Regional Chairmen is a calculated attempt to sabotage the National officers. We have utmost trust and belief in our current executives led by Chairman Paul Afoko and any ill-motive plan to undermine the steering committee and National council of the Party would not be tolerated by the grassroots and teaming supporters of the party. Our National Officers must be given the time to strategically plan well and correct our mistakes which led to our defeat in 2012 instead of pushing this agenda of early congress. As regional Chairmen, we anticipate that they should know better and must at all times resort to the party structures rather than this parochial and divisive agenda. We shall repel any such individualistic actions.

4. If the ten Regional Chairmen of our party are?demanding for an early delegates congress in?order to avoid insults during campaign to?elect a flag bearer, then we will urge them not?to wait for December 7th 2016, but equally?demand for early national general elections?since that is where the massive amount of?insults really take place. In our humble?estimation, the party must do an inner cleaning exercise and analyze why we lost two general elections both in 2008 and 2012 and correct our mistakes instead of this early congress phenomenon.

5. On the issue of the adopting the style that we used by going for an early congress in August 2010, what we need to ask ourselves is that, did that plan and style work? If it did, why then did we loose the 2012 elections? The NDC, our main political opponents held their congress very late to elect their flag bearer and they managed to beat us in the general elections. This is largely so because they took their time and put up the necessary structures and strategies, which could help them, win the election. What lesson can we also learn from this? ?

?In conclusion, we believe that, it is not the early congress to elect a flag bearer for our party, which will increase our chances of winning the next elections in 2016, but the strategies and the structures we put in place to revive our electoral machinery that will woo more votes for our party. We are therefore calling on our National executives to adhere to the stipulated time for the congress which is December 6th 2014 in order also to allow each of the contestants preach his message very well to the delegates and have enough time to campaign effectively.

Thank you all.

God bless NPP

God bless Ghana.

?......signed......

ALEXANDER SLEDGE (0543596784)

ISHMAEL DIMAH (0203127004)

JOHN AMOAKOHENE (0243309060)

SAMUEL K. AGYEI (0242219496)

KWADWO S. GYEKYE (0242576000)