Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for making its flagbearer hopefuls sign an agreement of good comradeship before, during, and after the party's presidential election, which takes place today, November 4.
The decision to have the quartet of NPP flagbearer aspirants sign the four-page Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was reached following a meeting between the National Council of Elders and the aspirants.
This agreement is designed to establish a framework for cooperation and unity within the party.
He raised concerns about the implications of not allowing candidates to voice their complaints if they believe they have been cheated during the election process.
He expressed surprise that "great lawyers" within the party participated in drafting the said MoU, which he believes presumes that, once signed, it automatically resolves all potential disputes and conflicts.
“Who can make laws in this country that, if you are being cheated, you shouldn't complain? Apart from command institutions like the military, where action is taken before complaining, in the free world, I am surprised that great lawyers sat down to draft this MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) that, when signed, becomes the solution,” he said.
He continued “I believe that is not the right approach. I am urging them that if there are issues that their candidates have raised, they need to address such issues. This will ensure peace after the post-election period."
A copy of the document sighted by GhanaWeb shows that it has six clauses of which four go to the heart of the process. The four being: Acceptance of primary election results, promotion of peace and cohesion, no resignation from the party and support for the winner.
The other two clauses are on enforcement mechanisms of the MoU and the timeline and duration - which starts when it was signed till announcement of winner of the election.
All four aspirants who were present at the meeting signed as did Chair of the elections committee, Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye and his vice and secretary.
Addressing the press after the meeting, Justin Frimpong Koduah, the General Secretary of the NPP, explained that the aspirants have also committed to accepting the results of the primaries by prioritizing the interests of the party.
"We were able to get all the four aspirants to sign an undertaking, and in summary, they are to accept the primary results, and promote peace and cohesion. If they don’t win, they will not resign from the party and will support the winner of the primary," Koduah stated.
Additionally, the aspirants have agreed to "ensure and enforce mechanisms that have been established by the party and also work within the timelines and duration that have been established by the party from now until the results are declared, and to respect the decision of the delegates of our party."
Saturday, November 4’s presidential primaries is expected to be a closely watched event, with Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia tipped by many as the front-runner in the race.
His main contender is Kennedy Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central, while former Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and former Mampong MP, Francis Addai-Nimoh, are also in the race for the flagbearer position.
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