Minister destroys NPP campaign billboards

BY THE close of today (Wednesday December 15) any campaign posters, banners and billboards of New Patriotic Party (NPP) aspirants that will be sighted within Kumasi, will be demolished.

The ruling political Party’s Steering Committee has stated emphatically that such campaign items are banned from the Greater Kumasi, during the party annual National Delegates Conference.

The party leadership has therefore given the authority to the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, to ensure that such campaign items are demolished before the coming weekend.

“The Party’s Steering Committee has decided that no bill boards, banners, posters etc of various NPP aspirants are allowed within the Ashanti Region, especially Greater Kumasi, during the National Delegates Conference.

“Consequently, I am requesting anyone who has mounted or pasted any of such items within the Region to remove them latest by 12 midnight tomorrow, Wednesday, 15th December, 2021.”

The above order was given by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, who claimed that he has been given the authorization by the party to remove all the campaign billboards.

He said failure by the party’s aspirants “to obey this directive by the end of the deadline (Wednesday), the Regional Minister will have no other option but to ensure the removal of all such items”.

Osei Mensah also urged all MMDCEs in the region to also remove all such items after the deadline. The NPP National Delegates Conference would take place in Kumasi this coming weekend.

Last week, the party’s National Steering Committee ordered that any banner, signboard or any campaign material whatsoever that has the photo or name of any individual member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that has been mounted in the Greater Kumasi Metropolis, with or without the consent of the individual, should be pulled down and removed immediately before the 18th December National Delegates Conference, the party’s National Steering Committee has ordered.

“Furthermore, no t-shirts, flyers, brochures, and or souvenirs, branded and or embossed with the portraits and names of individuals, shall be allowed within the precincts of the Conference, including but not limited to places of accommodation for delegates. Any person, with or without their consent, whose image is flaunted on any advocacy material and who does not take active steps to desist from any public displays of aspiration for position within the precincts of Greater Kumasi, runs a higher risk of disqualification in the event nominations are declared opened”, a statement signed by the party’s Communications Director, Yaw Boabeng Asamoah noted.

The full statement said: At a meeting held on Thursday 9th December 2021, the National Steering Committee of the Party, acting under Article 10 (10) (1) of the Constitution of the Party and in furtherance of the Code of Conduct issued under Article 18 to regulate and guide the activities of members prior to the opening of nominations, has banned the display of paraphernalia and advocacy for individual aspirants at the upcoming National Annual Delegates Conference.

Prior to and during the Conference on 18th to 20th December 2021, no billboards and or sign boards, banners or any kind of outdoor signage with the images and or names of individual members, with or without the consent of the individual, shall be acceptable. This applies to the area within the Greater Kumasi Metropolis. All such displays, if put up already, should be removed.

Furthermore, no t-shirts, flyers, brochures, and or souvenirs, branded and or embossed with the portraits and names of individuals, shall be allowed within the precincts of the Conference, including but not limited to places of accommodation for delegates. Any person, with or without their consent, whose image is flaunted on any advocacy material and who does not take active steps to desist from any public displays of aspiration for position within the precincts of Greater Kumasi, runs a higher risk of disqualification in the event nominations are declared opened.

The 2021 National Annual Delegates Conference is a time of renewal for the Party. Though we cherish the Party tradition of democratic competition, we believe well-meaning aspirants will appreciate the need for such measures, which are necessary to enable a clear focus on the aims of the Conference. The true spirit behind the Conference is to enhance Party unity around the singular effort of working closely with Ghanaians as we recover from Covid-19 and rebuild our economy in new ways to feed into a future of shared growth. The Party will also be focused on dealing with constitutional amendments proposed by members.

The Conference represents the end of a five-month long, but fruitful process. Starting in August 2021 under strict Covid-19 protocols, 275 Constituency Annual Delegates Conferences and 16 Regional Annual Delegates Conferences have been held, bringing together nearly 300,000 people, a feat unequalled in this era of Covid-19.

In response to enhanced protocols due to the fourth wave of Covid-19, attendees to the National Conference, are advised to take jabs of vaccine immediately, wherever they may find themselves. The Party is humbly requesting the Ghana Health Service to publish a list of places where shots of vaccine can be received in order for Party members to take jabs before the Conference date. There will also be medical personnel at the Conference venue to support compliance with the Protocols. All must carry their vaccination cards with them.

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year