The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Kwabena Agyei Agyepong has averred that the national council of the party should have allowed all 10 aspirants who expressed interest in the flagbearer position to contest in the November 4 primary.
He says the provision in the party’s constitution that allows for the pruning down of candidates came as a result of a condition and could be changed where applicable.
Mr. Agyepong was commenting on the runoff poll that would be organised for the two candidates that placed fifth at the just ended super delegates’ conference.
Speaking on TV3’s Midday Live Monday, August 28, 2023, Mr. Agyepong indicated that 10 is not a number so huge enough to warrant a cut before a general conference is held.
“After all, the whole idea behind pruning down was because of the massive numbers that we saw in 2007 when I was the youngest of the 17 aspirants. And this time we had 10, which, some of us, in our view, we thought they should have allowed us to go straight on but the national council thought differently; –let’s have this super delegates’, we’ve had it, –now four are clean through, there is another two, I think they should be allowed since they are sharing the fifth position,” he suggested.
Candidates Boakye Kyeremanteng Agyarko and Francis Adai-Nimoh were tied at the fifth position and would have to be split with a runoff on September 2 per the NPP’s rules.
But Mr. Agyepong who was also a contestant, says the two persons have all qualified for placing fifth after the exercise, making them eligible to contest in his opinion.
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“If I had the opportunity, I will suggest that they should allow them to join. Six is not different from five so if they make that decision to continue with the battle, then, having six is not [bad]” he stated.
He cited instances at the World Athletics Competition to buttress his suggestion.
“If you’re somebody who loves sports and you’ve been following the ongoing World Athletics Championship, the pole vault medal was shared between two, the bronze medal in the high jump was shared, they all had it so I think they are fifth, they should be allowed to go through. There is no need in my humble opinion, to waste all the money, mobilizing all these 900 people getting the Electoral Commission to set up voting stations, just to select one. I think sometimes we are the people who make the constitution and the constitutions are made for the parties,” he reemphasised.
