The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is racing against time to get the Accra Sports Stadium ready to host the Party’s National Executive Elections this weekend.
More than 6,700 delegates are expected to converge at the Stadium to participate in the elections, which would be held from Friday, July 15 to Sunday July 17, 2022.
The delegates, drawn from across the 16 regions, are expected to arrive in Accra on Friday, July 15, 2022, and the elections would be held on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
The last day, Sunday, July 17, 2022, would be for departure and post-election arrangements, Party officials told the Ghana News Agency.
Ahead of Saturday’s elections, event planners and other essential service providers are working feverishly to set up the Stadium to accommodate the thousands of participants expected at the event.
When the news team visited the Stadium on Thursday afternoon, it observed that portions of the stadium, including entrances, seats, and stair rails had been draped in NPP colours – red, blue, and white.
A banner, displaying the pictures of some of the current national executive members had been boldly displayed on the walls of the Stadium.
Whereas some decorators were busily beautifying the stadium with the Party’s colours, another team were seen mounting a dais where Party officials would be seated.
Some media houses were also seen mounting tents within the precinct of the Stadium to facilitate their coverage of the event.
Unlike previous congresses where aspirants would have coloured the elections ground with posters and banners, the situation was different at the Stadium as not a single poster of any of the aspirants was seen at the venue.
The NPP’s National Elections Committee, last week, barred the display of banners and billboards of aspirants at the election venue, and warned that offenders would be punished.
“Any display of opulence, including, but not limited to, the mounting of billboards is seriously frowned upon and infringing aspirants will be punished accordingly,” Mr Peter Mac Manu, Chairman of the Elections Committee, told journalists.
The Committee indicated that it had engaged the security services, in particular, the Ghana Police Service to ensure that the elections would be a smooth and peaceful.
Mr Yaw Buaben Asamaoa, the Director of Communications, NPP, who inspected preparatory works at the Stadium on Thursday, told the GNA that the rules against the display of billboard by aspirants would be strictly enforced.
He said the preparation has so far gone well, adding that the Party was looking forward to receiving all the delegates tomorrow.
The Elections Committee initially cleared 48 aspirants to contest various positions – National Chairman, Vice Chairman, General Secretary, Organiser, Youth Organiser, Treasurer, Women’s Organiser, and Nasara Coordinator.
Meanwhile, two aspirants – Joseph Ayikoi Otoo (National Chairman Aspirant), and Charles Bissue (General Secretary Aspirant) – have bowed out of the race.
The National Chairman and General Secretary positions have been tipped by analyst as the “must watch” contests.
The aspirants for the Chairmanship position in the order in which they will appear on the ballot paper are: Gifty Asantewa Ayeh, Sammy Crabbe, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Ekumfi, Akwasi Osei-Adjei, Stephen Ayensu Ntim, Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, and Kwabena Abankwa-Yeboah.
The aspirants for the General Secretary position are: John Boadu, Iddrisu Musah, Ramseyer Ahmed, Agyeman-Prempeh, Frederick Opare Ansah, and Justin Kodua Frimpong.