Tomorrow, Saturday, June 20, 102,000 delegates are expected to decide the fate of 308 aspirants seeking to represent the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 101 constituencies.
The candidates will represent the party in those constituencies in the December 7, 2020 parliamentary election.
Out of the aspirants, 47 are women, with 12 of them going unopposed while the remaining 35 will be in a fierce contest with other males. The females represent 15.26 per cent of the 308 aspirants.
COVID-19 protocols
According to party sources, the primaries are to be held in strict compliance with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) safety protocols.
In line with that, the party is providing nose masks to all delegates and officials, alcohol-based sanitisers, Veronica buckets and soap. Social distancing protocols will also be strictly observed.
The party has also instituted safety and security measures to ensure that all the delegates, aspirants’ agents, officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) are protected, both physically and from contracting COVID-19.
Although the primaries are to be held in 168 constituencies, 67 candidates will go unopposed while 308 aspirants will slug it out in 101 constituencies.
Among those going unopposed are the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, for Dormaa Central; the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, Bekwai; the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Suame; the Minister of Defence, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, Bimbilla; the Minister for the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, Nandom; the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ms Freda Prempeh, Tano North; the Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Manhyia South, and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mr Hassan Tampuli, for Gushegu.
Per the party’s guidelines for the primaries, all unopposed aspirants are to be acclaimed between June 15 and June 19, 2020.
Meanwhile, the party has scheduled, on Saturday, June 27, 2020, to acclaim President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as its presidential candidate for the 2020 Presidential election.
“The acclamation of the Presidential Candidate together with his running mate will be done at a special National Council meeting of the party to be held in Accra with the media and relevant stakeholders in attendance,” the NPP said in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Mr John Boadu.
It will be recalled that in filing his nomination forms, President Akufo-Addo announced that the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, would partner him for the 2020 presidential election.
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