NDC goes to the polls today

After days of uncertainty and tense moments, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) goes to the polls today to elect a flag bearer and parliamentary candidates for the 2024 general election.

This follows the withdrawal of the injunction case filed by one of the three flag bearer aspirants, Dr Kwabena Duffuor.

However, Dr Duffuor did not only withdraw the case, but also pulled out of the presidential primary, leaving the contest now in a two-man race between former President John Dramani Mahama and former Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Chief Executive, Kojo Bonsu. 

In withdrawing from the elections, the former Minister of Finance yesterday evening in a press conference explained that  his decision  was based on his grievances with the processes leading to the party’s upcoming primaries; especially
the voters register.

He said the exercise had been marred by a lot of irregularities; which had not been resolved by the leadership of the party.

He, therefore, announced that he would no longer vie for the flagbearership of the NDC. However, he would still keep in touch with the grass roots.

“As at this time, the party has begun distributing the ballot papers to the various regions and constituencies without our involvement. I wish to reiterate my commitment to the party and grass roots however, my concern that the party is not ready to conduct free and fair elections is evident for all of us to see.

“Taking part in such an event will be akin to knowing drinking from a poisoned calabash. After consulting with my support base nationwide, I have been left with no choice but to withdraw as I cannot contest in an election blatantly flawed with irregularities regardless of all my effort to draw attention to the same,” Dr Duffour said.

Court action

This came hours after Dr Duffour withdrew the suit he had filed against the NDC following what he said were some discrepancies his team had identified in the party’s voters register to be used for the exercise.

Last Monday, he dragged the party to court, praying that the election should not be held until a complete register was delivered to his camp and the two other presidential aspirants at least five weeks ahead of the election.

The writ said a sizeable number of the eligible voters had no photographs exhibited on the voters register, making it impossible to conduct any meaningful verification exercise on those affected.

He also alleged that the number of constituencies on the hard drive given to his representatives was 220 as against 228 constituencies.

The litany of allegations also included the fact that there were inaccuracies that rendered the photo album unviable for a free, fair and credible election, and that an exceptional list of 74,799 people had been created to take part in the election, while 3,910 eligible voters in the 220 constituencies had been disenfranchised.

However, when the court sat yesterday, his counsel, Opoku Amponsah, said he had instructions from his client to discontinue the case.

“The discussions came up this morning for which reason I could file the necessary processes,” he told the court.

The judge, Mariam Afful, subsequently struck out the application as withdrawn.

Election

Consequently, the elections are expected to go ahead this morning across the country.

The Electoral Commission (EC), which initially declined to supervise the polls due to the injunction process served on the body, has agreed to conduct the polls.

The Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said the commission would go ahead to supervise and conduct the election.

Otherwise, the NDC stated at a news conference yesterday that it would resort to an internal mechanism to conduct today’s election, if the EC declined to supervise it.

The presidential primary will take place in 275 out of the 276 constituencies initially earmarked for the polls except in the Manhyia South Constituency, which will not vote in the parliamentary primaries too.

The parliamentary primaries will, however, be held in 212 constituencies, with 16 put on hold, and 47 going unopposed.

The head of the Elections Committee of NDC, Kakra Essamuah, told the Daily Graphic that a total of 356,624 delegates of the party were expected to vote in the election.

Delegates

They comprise branch, constituency, regional and national executive, former national executive, sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), former MPs and government appointees, NDC-appointed Article 71 Office Holders, and metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives that served under the party’s government.

The rest are NDC-appointed former deputy and ministers of state, former Ambassadors and High Commissioners, former Members of the Council of State, presidential staffers who fall under Article 71 of the Constitution, foreign chapters and members of the NDC Professional Forum.

Some 692 aspirants are contesting the parliamentary primaries, and three in the presidential primary.

With Dr Duffuor’s withdrawal, the two remaining flag bearer aspirants are a former Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Kojo Bonsu, and former President John Dramani Mahama.

According to the breakdown, 259 constituencies will fully participate in both the presidential and parliamentary primaries.

Sixteen constituencies will participate in only the presidential and not the parliamentary, while Manhyia South would not take part in the election at all due to some internal dispute.