Frema Osei-Opare cleared to vote in NPP Special Delegates Conference

The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Presidential Elections Committee has certified that Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare is eligible to cast a ballot at the party’s special delegates congress on August 26.

The clarification comes after Alan Kyerematen’s campaign raised concerns about the chief of staff’s qualification under the category of National Executive Committee in the delegates list.

Reacting to the development at a press conference, Vice Chairman of the Presidential Elections Committee, Kwabena Abankwah Yeboah, said the Chief of Staff is qualified to vote, citing her role as patron of the party’s National Executive Committee.

“Our concerted efforts have been dedicated to addressing various queries that arose during the process. Particular emphasis was placed on resolving issues related to the voters register. To uphold the highest standards of transparency, we distributed the provisional voters register to aspirants and encouraged them to conduct a comprehensive review, identify, and report any discrepancies. Subsequently, we received valuable feedback from the aspirants regarding instances of omission, duplication, and related concerns.”

“We are pleased to confirm that all such concerns have been diligently rectified. An issue was raised about the status of Hon. Akosua Frema Osei Opare. According to the party’s records, she is a member of the National Executive Committee and, by virtue of her being the representative of the patrons at the NEC, this gives her the right to vote,” he stated.

NPP pledges transparent

Meanwhile the elections committee says it will deliver a free, fair, and transparent election come Saturday.

The NPP says it has put in place adequate measures to ensure that the election is successful.

Professor Michael Oquaye, the chairman of the NPP Presidential Elections Committee, said the outcome of the election will be acceptable to all due to the measures put in place to ensure the transparency of the polls.

“Whatever queries the aspirants had, I can assure you that they had all been dealt with, and it was in exercise toward a democratic end. If you have any difficulty, please contact the secretary of the committee or headquarters as a whole, and you will have those queries duly answered.”

Ten people, including Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, are in the race to lead the NPP in the 2024 presidential elections.

A balloting on July 26 for the ten aspirants as announced by the spokesperson for the NPP’s Elections Committee, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, “has the candidates appearing on the ballot papers as; Ken Ohene Agyapong (one), Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen (two), Joe Ghartey (three), Kwadwo Poku (four), Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto (five), Kwabena Agyei Agyepong (six), Francis Addai Nimoh (seven), Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku (eight), Boakye Kyeremanteng Agyarko (nine) and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia (10).”

The August 26 super delegates conference will reduce the number of aspirants down to five to make way for the presidential primaries to select a flagbearer on November 4.

Phones and cameras have also been banned by the party as part of stringent measures put in place ahead of the conference to avoid vote buying.