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Chair of the Elections Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye, has urged all members of the party to obey the rules that have been set for the November 4 presidential primaries.
He indicated that the NPP has touted itself as the mother and father of Ghana’s democracy therefore, it was incumbent on all members to carry themselves as such during the internal elections.
Nonetheless, he told the Police to arrest and deal decisively with all persons who disregard the rules of engagement.
The former Speaker of Parliament said these when the elections committee met with the Inspector General of Police Dr George Akuffo Dampare and officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) in Accra on Thursday, October 26 ahead of the internal elections.
He said “We know the appropriate authority is the Ghana Police. it is not just an internal event which matters, it is our own thing, In fact, even a family meeting, if you have it and you don’t go according to the law and you start fighting, very soon the police will have to come in. So nothing is beyond the parameters of the Police whether it borders on peace and security of the country.
“It is also a fact that the Electoral Commission has been set up as an independent institution whose job basically is to carry out elections in our country. So they must know all the dynamics of the elections, for that matter, we are authorizing you as a party to take absolute control of all the processes that you regulate during a normal election in this election. We have made a number of guidelines, it is a matter of common consent
“We are assuring you that the regulations we have all signed up to which we are going to make available to the Police and already available to the EC will be the blueprint of the process. Anyone who disregards this on that day should be dealt with according to law. We want to establish that this country is a lawful nation and for that matter, in particular, the NPP as an advanced party, we claim to be fathers and mothers of democracy in Ghana, therefore, we must act in a manner that is conformity with the relevant claims that we make. We, therefore, urge you to ensure that you do your work accordingly, there will be no no-go area in this process, Ghaha is one republic and belongs to all of us,” the former Dome-Kwabenya lawmaker added.
The Presidential Elections Committee of the NPP released the guidelines for the primaries that will take place at all the 276 constituencies across the country and the Party Headquarters, Asylum Down, Accra.
In a statement, the committee said the guidelines outlined the procedures and rules for the primaries that would elect a presidential candidate for the 2024 general election.
“The Electoral Commission (EC) shall supervise the conduct of the elections and shall have the full responsibility of ensuring a transparent, free and fair election. No persons, whether party officials or otherwise whatsoever shall act in contravention to the EC and these guidelines.”
The Committee added that “the security activities rest exclusively with the police and access beyond security perimeters is restricted to Delegates, Presidential Elections Committee Members, Contestants and their accredited agents. The Presidential Elections Committee of the Party is the entity with the Constitutional mandate from National Council to oversee the organization and conduct of the election for the Presidential Candidate,” the committee stated.
The committee also said that there shall be no campaign, canvassing for votes or gathering of party people for any purpose a day before voting, adding that there shall be no camping of delegates, accreditation is constituency specific and the media will be granted accreditation.
“Voters are expected to “walk-in” freely by themselves. The physically challenged may be assisted. A voter must wait to be cleared before entering the perimeter- Queue Control. No voter shall wear the colour or effigy of a contestant at the voting centre (i.e. T-shirts, caps, posters of contestants). Delegates shall not be allowed to enter the voting screen or booth in groups or in pairs.”
“Voting shall not take place indoors but in an open place in the full glare of the public. It is an offence for unaccredited persons to enter the voting perimeter. A delegate who has already cast his/her vote shall not be re-admitted into the voting perimeter. Any person found directing a delegate on which contestant to vote for commits an offence and shall be removed by the police,” the committee stated.
