NPP Bans Alan, Nana

John Alan Kyerematen and Nana Akufo-Addo DELEGATES ATTENDING Saturday’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Delegates Conference are forbidden from wearing T-shirts and paraphernalia that bear the picture of Nana Akufo-Addo or Alan Kyerematen, two leading contestants for the party’s flagbearership position. Also banned at the Baba Yara Stadium venue for the conference is the wearing of T-shirts and items with the pictures of contestants vying for any of the national positions of the largest opposition political party. In this regard, security personnel detailed to maintain law and order at the congress have been mandated by the leadership of the party to prevent any delegate or person that would go contrary to the order from entering the election venue. National Chairman of the NPP, Peter Mac Manu, said, “Any member of the party that would breach this simple order would be debarred from entering the election grounds by the police.” He pointed out that being in possession of accreditation card alone could not guarantee a person’s entry into the stadium. “You need to meet all the other requirements of the party before you would be allowed to enter the venue.” Information reaching the party, he disclosed, indicates that some unscrupulous persons are planning to wear the T-shirts of Nana Addo and Alan Kyerematen to cause confusion during the polls. This, he observed, besides marring the beauty of the polls, would as well falsely portray to the outside world that the NPP is an undemocratic party which is noted for fighting. According to Mr Mac Manu, plans for a successful congress are so far going on smoothly, adding that the party leadership would guard against complacency to avoid any untoward incident. He therefore appealed to supporters of the party, notably the delegates, to comport themselves and obey every rule on the election day. On who are eligible to cast their ballots on the voting day, the two-time Western Regional Chairman of the NPP said the party would apply its new constitutional amendment which was approved in August 2009. The party has also asked its supporters not to troop to the Baba Yara Stadium on Saturday for the party’s delegates conference because not a single unaccredited person would be allowed into the stadium. It has accordingly told the members to watch the programme from the comfort of their homes as it would be transmitted live on all television and radio stations. The NPP has further noted that the conference would be a day’s event, thus no accommodation arrangements have been or would be made for any delegate. To make this possible, the NPP Electoral Committee and the Electoral Commission (EC) would mount seven different polling stations at the stadium for the over 4,000 delegates from the 10 regions to vote simultaneously so as to save time. NPP National Organizer, Lord Commey, told DAILY GUIDE yesterday that contrary to public expectation, the conference would be limited to about 5,000 accredited delegates that would converge on the VIP stand of the Baba Yara Stadium. “This is a delegates’ conference and not a rally or fanfare; it is serious business where the highest governing body of the party meets to take crucial decisions. The framers of our constitution were aware the NPP is a mass party but they still stated who can attend this conference and for organizational and security reasons, we just cannot afford a whole stadium of supporters at this conference. “We plead with our supporters to catch the fever of the event from the comfort of their homes because it would be live on TV…any unaccredited member of our party who comes to the stadium on Saturday would be prevented from entering. We however cannot prevent them from hanging round the stadium to do their own thing,” Mr. Commey explained. He debunked assertions that the NPP is finding it difficult to pay for the use of the stadium: “We have solved that and it is not an issue; we decided on the stadium because we are expecting some 5,000 accredited persons in all and there is no single hall in the Ashanti region that can accommodate that number.” The National Organizer noted further that the NPP constitution requires it to hold an annual conference to assess its performance and elect new national officers where necessary. ‘Reflect, Rebuild and Recapture Power in 2012’ is the theme under which the NPP would hold this year’s conference and it would be chaired by out-going National Chairman, Peter Mac Manu. Former President John Kufuor is billed to address the conference and about 32 persons would be competing for eight available positions. Five persons are vying for the position of National Chairman and eight persons for the Vice National Chairman, though only the first three with the highest votes would be recognized. Five persons are vying for the General Secretary position, three for the National Organizer, four for the National Youth Organizer, two for the National Women’s Organizer, one person for the National Treasurer and three for the Nasara Coordinator. The National Organizer explained that unlike the other positions, those of the National Youth Organizer, National Women’s Organizer and the National Nasara Coordinator would be elected by special delegates. Daily Guide/Halifax Ansah-Addo, I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi