NPP to meet presidential hopefuls over code of conduct

The General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party, Justin Frimpong Kodua, has vowed to enforce the party’s Code of Conduct ahead of the party’s presidential and parliamentary primaries for 2024.

In a statement Mr Frimpong Kodua reiterated that the leadership of the party was determined to ensure that activities of all party officers, individuals, groups, supporters and loyalists of presidential and parliamentary hopefuls did not break the rules of engagement.

“The leadership will make sure they do not breach the Party’s Code of Conduct for presidential and parliamentary primaries. The Party wishes to further state that the institution and enforcement of these measures are not intended to aid the electoral advantage of any prospective candidate but to prevent tensions that often arise in the lead up to presidential and parliamentary primaries and secure a united front for the 2024 general elections,” portions of the statement read.

The NPP Scribe further reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring a free, fair and peaceful conduct of the party’s presidential and parliamentary primaries.

Matters arising

The statement noted that on August 3, 2022, the Member of Parliament for Tafo Pankrono Constituency, Ekow Vincent Assafuah, during an interview on a Kumasi based station, OYEREPA FM/TV, passed some comments that sought to advance the ambitions of one of the party’s presidential hopefuls.

“Despite a prompt from the host of the show that his declaration of support for a presidential hopeful violated the party’s Code of Conduct for presidential and parliamentary primaries, Hon. Assafuah blatantly maintained his position,” the statement said.

The statement also revealed that a “Health Walk” held on Saturday, August 13, 2022, in Kumasi by some individuals, who claimed to be supporters of one of the NPP’s presidential hopefuls, had violated the party’s Code of Conduct.

“Further, comments made by some organisers of the Health Walk and other keynote speakers particularly, Mr Hopeson Adorye, a member of the NPP, also breached the Party’s Code of Conduct and sought to divide the party front,” the statement added.

Intriguingly, the statement indicated the “Walk was held few days after the General Secretary had issued a Press Statement to caution all party members and executives to refrain from acts that breach the Code of Conduct for presidential and parliamentary primaries”.

The statement intimated that prior to the “Aduru Wo So Health Walk’’, the General Secretary and National Organiser of the party had engaged the organisers of the Health Walk, and urged them to abandon such plans as that would be in breach of the party’s Code of Conduct”.

The executives also granted interviews on various media houses cautioning against these imminent infractions of the Code of Conduct, the statement added, lamenting that all these proactive interventions were not adhered to by the organizers.

“Ekow Vincent Assafuah and Hopeson Adorye were, meanwhile, to be invited to appear before the National Complaints Committee as provided for in the Party’s Code of Conduct. Mr. Alan Kyerematen has been written to in respect of the ‘Aduro Wo So Health Walk’ that was organised in his name,” the statement added.

He stressed that in a bid to forestall such occurrences, the National Steering Committee had agreed that a meeting be arranged with all presidential hopefuls of the party to court their support and full cooperation in respect of their compliance with the party’s Code of Conduct