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The National Peace Council (NPC) has commended the National Democratic Congress

(NDC) for heeding to its appeal to return to the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC).

IPAC is made up of all registered political parties in Ghana, at which the Electoral Commission (EC) engages them with respect to electoral reforms and other related matters.

A statement issued by the Reverend Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, the Chairman of the NPC, copied to the Ghana News Agency, recalled that after the 2020 elections, the NDC decided not to attend the IPAC meetings.

‘This became a matter of concern to all stakeholders in Ghana’s democratic and elections space,’ it said.

‘At a Post-Elections Stakeholders’ workshop organized by the National Peace Council at Ada in 2021, the participants tasked the NPC to facilitate the return of the NDC to IPAC.’

The statement said the Council, therefore, engaged the NDC, the EC and other stakeholders to facilitate the NDC’s return to IPAC.

It said on 14th December 2023, during a stock-taking co
nference, organised by the NPC at Peduase as part of the preparations towards the 2024 elections, the NDC responded to the Council’s appeal by publicly committing to return to the IPAC.

Pursuant to that commitment, the NDC had participated in two recent IPAC meetings on 22nd and 29th January 2024.

The Council was hopeful that the commitment would be sustained to further strengthen the existing democratic credentials of Ghana, the statement said.

It expressed the NPC’s appreciation to the EC, political parties, all political actors and stakeholders within the electoral management system for their support to the NPC in the bid to promote sustainable peace in Ghana.

It urged all stakeholders in the political space to use dialogue and consensus building to ensure a free, fair, credible, and peaceful 2024 elections.

‘In addition, we urge the public to appreciate the fact that peacebuilding can sometimes be a slow process.’

‘Therefore, we must all exercise patience and support the NPC and its partners in buil
ding a sustainable and peaceful country.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Joseph Kumah Mackay, the Sene West constituency Parliamentary Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Bono East Region, has appealed to feuding factions in the Party to reconcile in the interest of the Party.

That, he said would well-position the Party to win more parliamentary seats and ‘break the eight’ in the Elections 2024 and put Ghana on sustainable path of holistic development.

He warned members that the perceived factionalism, internal wrangling and squabbles would put the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on the edge, making it extremely difficult for the NPP to break the eight and retain political power in the next general election.

If not tackled with urgency, continuous factionalism could disintegrate and break the Party’s front to narrow its fortunes in winning the Elections 2024, he said.

Mr Mackay, also the Chief Executive Officer of the Middle Belt Development Authority (MBDA), made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of a meeting hel
d at Kwame-Danso, the constituency’s capital.

The Parliamentary Candidate met, interacted, and reconciled with the three other parliamentary aspirants of the Party and their followers who contested him in the NPP’s orphan constituency parliamentary primaries.

Mr Mackay said upon the successful election of the NPP’s Parliamentary candidates, it was therefore imperative for them to do more to resolve emerging internal problems and ensure that all disgruntled members and supporters were brought back on board for a vigorous campaign.

He said with absolute unity and a formidable front, the Party would be able to maintain and re-capture the parliamentary seats it lost to the NDC in the Elections 2020.

Mr Mackay explained that he had been the Parliamentary candidate for the NPP since 2008 and his determination was not only to win the Sene West seat, but to also ensure that their Party widened vote margins in the Presidential election too.

‘In fact, it has not been easy, but this time we are sure of winning the
parliamentary seat because our development achievements in the constituency are glaring for all to see,’ he stated.

Accompanied by some Bono East Regional and Sene West constituency executives of the NPP, Mr Mackay later called on members of the Wiase Traditional Council, to introduce himself for support.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary candidate-elect for Offinso North, Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, has appealed to party supporters to put the primaries behind them and plan towards the December general elections.

He also appealed to the various contestants to put their disappointment behind them and rally the people for victory in the 2024 elections.

Dr. Asamoah made the call when he spoke to the media on Wednesday after his victory over the incumbent Member of Parliament for Offinso North, Mr Augustine Collins Ntim.

He explained that now that the primaries were over, what was needed were unity of purpose, sharing of ideas and seeing how best to get the best election message to the Ghanaian populace so they would retain the party to continue with its good policies.

Dr. Asamoah also indicated that the smooth and peaceful manner in which the recent primaries were held attested to the unity and oneness among members of the party and urged members to maintain their focus.

He thanked Offinso North constit
uency delegates for the honour done to him and the trust reposed in him to represent them during the next general election.

Dr Asamoah pledged to bring all members of the party, especially those who contested the primaries together and engage them during the upcoming campaign.

Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah polled 378 votes to beat the incumbent, Mr Augustine Collins Ntim, who had 231 votes. Mr Rockson Kwaku Adu Boahen who recorded one vote.

This is the first time Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah is contesting in the NPP primaries in the Offinso North constituency.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it opposes the Electoral Commission’s (EC) proposal to hold the 2024 general election in November instead of December.

Mr Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, the General Secretary of the NDC, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, said: ‘The NDC states without equivocation that the EC’s quest to hold the general election in November, 2024, will not be supported by the NDC’.

It said the announcement by Dr Bossman Asare, the Deputy Chairman in-charge of Corporate Services of the EC, did not reflect the irrefutable arguments that led to the concensus that any major electoral reforms should become effective from November 2028.

It noted that whereas there was a clear consensus on 2028 as the year of effectiveness, it was untrue that the majority of political parties at IPAC agreed to the November 2024 date.

‘It is, therefore, strange but not unexpected that the Deputy Chair of the EC misled the public that almost about 60 per cent of political parties supported
the proposal for elections to be held in November, 2024 at the IPAC meeting held on Monday, January 29, 2024.’

The statement said IPAC needed to return to its time-honoured tradition of building consensus on crucial electoral reforms.

‘Be that as it might, it was important to clarify that out of the 10 political parties at the IPAC meeting, at least five spoke eloquently against changing the date for elections to November 2024,’ it said.

‘We urge the Electoral Commission to concentrate on germane and urgent matters, including immediately releasing the calendar for the 2024 elections as we strive for transparent, free, and fair elections in December, 2024.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Akosua Manu, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary candidate for Adentan Constituency, has called on Ghanaians to vote massively for the party in the Election 2024 to enable it to continue with the good works.

She said the major interventions introduced by the NPP-led government, with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the helm of affairs, attested to the fact that the party had a vision for Ghanaians.

Madam Manu made the call at a meeting with the Adenta Branch of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) in Accra.

The meeting was to afford the parliamentary candidate the opportunity to interact with the Federation, identify some of its challenges and see how best she could help solve them.

She said Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP’s Presidential candidate, was undoubtedly the brightest young politician that could be found in Ghana’s politics.

His success story as a former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana should not be overlooked as it propelled him to who he had become.

Madam Manu
said the Vice President did not only digitalise the economy but had also created an enabling environment for businesses to grow as head of the Economic Management Team.

She, therefore, asked the electorate to vote for her and Dr Bawumia to enhance the party’s chances of breaking the eight-year political cycle in the country and to elect the first female Parliamentarian for the Adentan Constituency.

Mr Lawrence Abban, the Chairman of the Ghana Society for the Physically Disabled, commended the candidate for interacting with the Federation and pledged its support for her candidature.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Edward Omane Boamah, the Director of Elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said there was an overwhelming consensus at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) Meeting held on Monday, January 29, that any major electoral reforms must be implemented in 2028, and not in 2024.

He said the well thought through decision was to ensure that Ghana had enough time to prepare for the elections.

In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, Dr Omane Boama said: ‘At IPAC yesterday, if the political parties had accepted the November proposal, that would have meant Ghana has only eight clear months to prepare for the elections.’

The EC waited for seven years after 2016 without revisiting the issue only to resurrect the subject of voting in November when Ghana had just 10 clear months to the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, he said.

‘Why did the EC not introduce these discussions, adjustments, and amendments in 2017, 2018, 2019, or better still, why not after the 2020
elections?….’

Meanwhile the EC’s calendar of programmes and activities for the upcoming elections was not yet ready, hence it could not be released to political parties, Dr Omane Boama said.

‘Why wait for January to be ending without stakeholders having the electoral calendar for the 2024 elections?’

‘You don’t wait for an election year to introduce major Electoral Reforms: a year in which the EC has so much to do after an abysmal District Level (Assembly) Elections characterised by postponements after postponements, shortage of ballot papers, some Election Officer’s complicity among others.’

Recalling the Limited Registration of voters in 2023, Dr Omane said: ‘Did you know that another voters’ registration exercise must take place this year? Yet, because the EC’s calendar of activities is not ready, we are left guessing.’

He also mentioned the frequent breakdown of the EC’s equipment and network (system) during the limited registration exercise in 2023, which necessitated shifting to offline registratio
n in some cases.

He said those developments cast some doubts about the procurement of services and equipment and must be investigated and fixed.

Besides, to vote for MPs in November, the EC needed amendment of the 1992 Constitution, Article 112(4).

‘This amendment of a non-entrenched clause requires two-thirds of MPs to pass, meanwhile the MPs themselves must be

in their constituencies for some parts of this year campaigning, and facilitating the registration of voters when the EC finally decides,’ Dr Boama said.

‘Not to think of the duration of the process and other germane issues the EC must bring to the front burner.’

Going forward, Dr Omane Boamah said the EC must immediately release the calendar of activities for 2024.

He recommended that the EC must be focusing on urgent and important activities that would enhance the integrity of the December 7, 2024 elections and punish its erring officials.

‘As was made abundantly clear at the IPAC meeting, we do not expect the EC to wait for another election
year to reintroduce this major reform of voting in November.’

He said the process must end the latest by 2027 to allow political actors enough time in 2028 to concentrate on core concerns in an election year.

In addition, the party was ready to discuss voting on worship days for a workable solution to satisfy people of faith.

Source: Ghana News Agency