NPP outlines guidelines for parliamentary primaries in ‘orphan constituencies’

The New Patriotic Party (NPP), has outlined guidelines and modalities for the conduct of the Party’s parliamentary primaries in orphan constituencies ahead of the 2020 Parliamentary Elections.

The orphan constituencies consist of where the Party did not have sitting members of parliament.

Mr John Boadu, NPP General Secretary in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday, said the guidelines were approved at the National Steering Committee of the Party meeting held on Thursday, July 11.

The statement stated that the National Steering Committee’s initiative was consequent to the directives of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Party which met on July 1, 2019, pursuant to Article 12 and 13 of the Party’s constitution.

According to the timetable, the Party would open nominations for the orphan constituencies from July 20, and close on August 3; whilst elections would be conducted on September 28, simultaneously across the country.

The statement added that Aspiring Parliamentary Candidate were to procure nomination forms after the payment of non-refundable application fee of GHS2,000.00 and filing fee GHS20,000.00 in Bankers draft in favour of the NPP National Headquarters, Accra.

According to the statement, for purposes of encouraging more Women, Youth and Physically Challenged Persons to aspire to higher political office, such prospective aspiring parliamentary candidates would enjoy a rebate of 50 per cent on the filing fees.

“This means they will be required to pay a nonrefundable filing fee of GHS10,000.00,” the statement said.


The statement urged candidates to submit Nomination forms to the Constituency Parliamentary Elections Committee for endorsement and certification, and then to the Regional Secretariat for endorsement and certification.


The Regional Secretariat shall thereupon be required to submit all such Forms to the National Secretariat for final endorsement and certification by the General Secretary, the statement said.


“Should an aspirant suffer any obstruction in the final filing process at the Constituency Level, he or she may file at the Regional Secretariat or National Secretariat at the office of the General Secretary.

“The Constituency Secretary shall publish, at the close of nomination, list of all applicants who have successfully filed their nominations to contest in the primaries,” the statement explained.



According to the statement; Vetting of aspirants was slated from August 10 to August 15 and the vetting report, submitted to NEC through the General Secretary not later than August 18.

The National Parliamentary Appeals Committee shall receive petitions from disgruntled or disqualified aspiring candidates from August 20 to August 23 and Notice of polls shall be published on August 31.

The statement said only members of the Constituency and Regional Executive Committee shall be permitted to observe the vetting session and an aspirant who would be dissatisfied with the vetting process and outcome thereof may petition the National Appeals Committee for redress.


The statement stated that; to avoid any doubt, no aspirant should proceed to Court in respect of any matter regarding the election unless and until he/she had fully exhausted the internal redress procedures and mechanisms to resolve disputes in accordance with Article 4(8)(4) of the Party’s constitution.


The photo Album/Register, which was used to elect the Constituency Executives in February 2018 election, shall be the same album that will be made available to all and the Electoral Commission for the conduct of the parliamentary primaries.


The statement added that any delegate who intended to appoint a proxy should apply to the National Secretariat two weeks before the conduct of the parliamentary primaries.

The statement warned that any aspirant who flouts any of the guidelines and modalities or conducts him/herself in a manner that would bring the Party’s name into disrepute would be deemed to have breached Article 4(7) of the NPP constitution and would, accordingly, be sanctioned which included being disqualified from contesting in the primaries.