After a two-day vetting exercise, the NDC has passed 98 aspirants for its December 19 national executive elections and barred 23 hopefuls.
The party’s spokesperson on the elections committee, Dr Peter Boamah Otokunor, told journalists after the exercise on Thursday that 138 people picked nomination forms but only 122 filed, and one of those missed vetting. The vetting ran over two days.
“122 individuals filed, and one was absent for the vetting, so it means that 121 undertook the vetting. Out of that, we had 23 disqualified,” he said.
The National Executive Committee race produced most of the casualties, with 16 aspirants disqualified and 32 cleared. Six of the seven people chasing Deputy General Secretary got through.
Two contenders each fell in the Deputy National Women’s Organiser race and in the National Youth Organiser race, while all four National Chairman contenders and 17 National Vice Chairman contenders sailed through.
The committee said most of those sent home had failed to satisfy the constitutional requirements for national executive office, as well as the party’s electoral guidelines. Almost all turned on a single constitutional clause setting prerequisites for the posts.
The two Youth Organiser hopefuls sent home are Steven Nhyira Odarteifio and Najib Yahaya. No full list of the 23 disqualified aspirants has been published.
The cleared field includes the four chairman hopefuls: Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, Akwasi Opong-Fosu, Nii Armah Ashietey and incumbent Vice Chairman Sofo Azorka.
Fifi Fiavi Kwetey for General Secretary, Joseph Yamin for National Organiser and Godwin Ako Gunn for National Communications Officer all go through unopposed. Former chairman Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo withdrew from the race earlier to focus on his government roles.
Aggrieved aspirants have two days to appeal to a panel reviewing complaints.
Cleared candidates can now take their campaigns across the country, with delegates’ lists handed to them, and the committee has urged peaceful campaigns free of insults and personal attacks.
The elections take place at the party’s National Delegates Congress on Saturday, December 19, part of a reorganisation leading up to the 2028 general elections.
The December 19 date was announced in January as the main congress to elect the new national executives.
