The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced that the National Council will intervene to break the tie between Boakye Agyarko and Francis Addai-Nimo, who are vying for the 5th aspirant position in the race for the party’s final flagbearer nomination.
The decision was disclosed by Justin Frimpong Kodua, the General Secretary of the NPP, during a media briefing following an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) held at Alisa Hotel in Accra yesterday.
Under the previous guidelines outlined in Section 25 of the party’s Presidential Election Committee, a deadlock situation would necessitate a run-off election to determine a clear winner.
However, the National Council, which constitutes the Presidential Election Committee, has decided to modify these rules.
He stated the council had opted for a different approach, whereby it will act as the deciding body to resolve the deadlock between the two aspirants.
“This shift means that the National Council members themselves will serve as delegates for the election scheduled for Saturday, September 2, 2023. The decision to involve the National Council stems from its diverse composition, which includes members from various internal branches spread across the nation,” he indicated.
The move, he noted, is in accordance with Article 10(3) of the party’s constitution, which grants the National Council the authority to make decisions in the best interest of the party.
The NPP General Secretary also emphasized that this approach was chosen to expedite the process and minimize costs associated with a traditional run-off.
Moreover, he revealed that the NEC’s decision overruled a previous stance taken by the elections committee.
He said the elections committee had agreed with the aspirants that individuals holding government appointments, government officers, and Members of Parliament could not serve as agents for aspirants.
He, however, announced that the national council, had reversed this decision, granting aspirants the autonomy to select agents of their choice for the upcoming election on November 4.