The coming weekend of July 15 to 17, 2022, is expected to be a packed one for the ruling political party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), as it elects new national executives at its delegates conference.
With almost all the national positions being keenly contested between the incumbents and some new hopefuls, the attention of the country is expected to be glued to the outcomes of the elections.
The elections are equally critical now because of the daring aim of the NPP to Break the 8, a mantra that is expected to see the party become the first political party in the country to serve in government beyond the existing two terms (8 years).
While that plan is on the table, the national delegates congress has already started experiencing some major fallouts, with many big names throwing in the towel.
Earlier, GhanaWeb reported on how three old faces of the 10 current national executives of the party, whose tenures are about to end, have bowed out of the race.
The three are the current Chairman, Freddie Blay; Frederick Freduah Antoh, the First National Vice President; and Sammi Awuku, a one-time National Youth Organiser of the party.
In this article, GhanaWeb refocuses the lens on the aspirants for the various NPP national executive positions who have already done big U-turns.
Here they are:
Ayikoi Otoo:
The first name on the list is a former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Joseph Nii Ayikoi Otoo, who was vying for the National Chairmanship position of the of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
His exit leaves only seven contenders vying for the position; Prof Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, Stephen Ayesu Ntim, Stephen Asamoah-Boateng (a.k.a Asabee), Sammy Crabbe, Akwasi Osei Adjei, George Kwabena Abankwah-Yeboah and Gifty Ama Asantewa Ayeh.
The chairman of the NPP national elections committee, Peter Mac Manu, who disclosed this, indicated that the former Attorney General resigned on his own free will.
“As a result of the diligence of the national election committee and the preparedness of the prospective aspirants, no appeals against the nomination of any prospective aspirant were recorded.
“Honourable Ayikoi Otoo who was vying for the national chairmanship position of the party has, however, since withdrawn from the race. So, after vetting, he has withdrawn from the race,” Mac Manu said.
Charles Bissue:
Initially aspiring for the General Secretary position of the NPP, a Presidential Staffer, Charles Bissue, announced his official withdrawal from the race on July 13, 2022.
In a press statement, he indicated that even though he is stepping down from the contest, he is willing to share with whoever gets elected as the General Secretary, ideas and tools he had intended to use in rebuilding the party.
“On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, I officially withdrew my aspiration for the General Secretary position of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). A letter has been issued to that effect, to the National Election Committee, and that I believe was received in good faith.
“In the spirit of the Party’s constitution as stipulated in Article 10 (4), I presented myself as a nominee for the General Secretary position, to which, I was duly vetted and passed by the Elections Committee. I secured the 4th position among five other contenders on the ballot paper,” the statement added
With his withdrawal from the contest, those still in the race are the incumbent General Secretary, John Boadu; Justin Kodua Frimpong, Musah Iddrisu Superior, Frederick Opare Ansah, and Ramseyer Agyemang-Prempeh.
Dr. Kwame Afriyie:
One of the names initially running for the position of National Organiser, Dr. Kwame Afriyie, has also backed out of the race.
After filing his nomination on June 14, 2022, at the party's head office, he addressed the press where he said that there is a wide gap between the party and the government which has demoralized the party grassroots.
“The grassroots are like orphans, they have no one in government to cry to for help but they are the root of the party,” he said.
He said his bid to be the national organizer was to make sure that the party has a direct link in government to solve the problems of the grassroots and make sure that the party maintains power in 2024.
"We can't hand over power to NDC in 2024, the polling station executives, constituency executives, regional executives, and the campaign team members who woke up at dawn in 2016 to vote for change and maintained power in 2020 by giving 4 more years to the NPP government to steer the affairs of this country must enjoy the fruit of their labor, they must feel the belongingness of the party they fought for,” he added.
Dr. Kwame Afriyie is a farmer, a businessman, and a medical doctor by profession. He is the current Chairman of the Western North Regional Health Committee, a member of the Ghana Medical Association, a member of the World Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons, member occupational and health safety association of America.
Akosua Serwaa Bonsu:
In the race for National Women’s Organiser was Akosua Serwaa Bonsu, but she has since thrown in the towel.
Very little is known about her and why she quit the race.
Tumfuor Klinsman Karikari:
For National Youth Organiser, Tumfuor Klinsman Karikari pulled out of the race after his initial interests.
Tumfour, who is the Assembly Member of Aboanim Krofofrom Electoral Area in the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti Region, picked nomination forms to contest the position of National Youth Organizer on Saturday, June 11, 2022.
Interacting with the media after picking the forms, KKM, as he is famously known, urged the youth and delegates of the party to elect him, saying that if he is elected, he will work hard with the youth to ‘Break the 8.’
"Let me declare emphatically that Hon. KKM is running to win this contest. We will not be complacent; I will be a youth leader for all, the approachable, even though we are confident that we will win based on our previous efforts.
"Every country's development is largely determined by how the youth are included in the business of the country.
"To make a long-term difference… my stint as a youth organizer will focus heavily on young invention and creativity, which he believes is another method to get the youth involved in the development of the economy and the country as a whole.
"The Break the 8 Campaign trip has borne fruit thus far, and we hope to emerge victorious at the end of the day," he said.
He is however not vying anymore for the said position.
Meanwhile, the national executives elections of the New Patriotic Party is slated for July 15 to July 17, 2022, at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Meanwhile, GhanaWeb is accepting nominations for the prestigious GhanaWeb Excellence Awards – Youth Edition. Watch how you can nominate from the video below.
EA/WA
These aspirants have all stepped down from the race for various reasons