NPP Parliamentary Primaries: 102,000 delegates to decide fate of 308 today

Phase two of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) primaries will be held in about 168 constituencies today [Saturday , 20th June, 2020.]

The first phase of the primaries came off in September 2019 in “orphan constituencies” – constituencies with no sitting Members of Parliament.

A total of 374 aspirants are contesting in the 168 constituencies; of which 325 are men and 51 are women.

COVID-19 protocols

According to party sources, the primaries are to be held in strict compliance with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) safety protocols.

In line with that, the party is providing nose masks to all delegates and officials, alcohol-based sanitisers, Veronica buckets and soap. Social distancing protocols will also be strictly observed.

The party has also instituted safety and security measures to ensure that all the delegates, aspirants’ agents, officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) are protected, both physically and from contracting COVID-19.

67 Unopposed

Although the primaries are to be held in 168 constituencies, 67 candidates will go unopposed while 308 aspirants will slug it out in 101 constituencies.

Among those going unopposed are the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, for Dormaa Central; the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, Bekwai; the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Suame; the Minister of Defence, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, Bimbilla; the Minister for the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, Nandom; the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ms Freda Prempeh, Tano North; the Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Manhyia South, and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mr Hassan Tampuli, for Gushegu.

Per the party’s guidelines for the primaries, all unopposed aspirants are to be acclaimed between June 15 and June 19, 2020.