Voting has started nationwide in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential primaries with a total of 203, 439 delegates expected to choose a candidate to lead the Party in the 2024 General Election. The election is taking place in 277 polling centres across the 16 regions. The Electoral Commission, which is supervising the polls, has put the election in Sunyani East on hold due to a court injunction Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is locking horns with three other formidable opponents – Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Francis Addai-Nimoh and Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto. The delegates comprise 12 main electoral college blocks. They are: Ministers/Deputy Ministers, Patrons and Council of Elders, Foundation Members, National Council and Regional Officers. The rest are: The NPP’s Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON), Overseas Branches, Members of Parliament (MPs), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Constituency Council of Elders, Constituency Officers, Electoral Area Coordinators and Polling Station Executives. A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to some polling centres across the country Saturday morning saw delegates queuing to cast their ballots. Voting materials arrived ahead of start of polls, with security personnel at the centres. Some centres have agents for all the four aspirants. The NPP goes to the polls at a time when Ghana is facing a challenging economic and social situation amid an increasingly difficult global environment. According to the World Bank’s April 2023 Africa Pulse Report, the country’s economy has been struggling with high levels of public debt and elevated inflation, fueled by a sharp weakening of the Cedi. The ruling Party is searching for a candidate capable of not only spearheading the NPP to win the 2024 Presidential Election, but a person with the expertise to find an antidote to the declining economy. For Dr. Bawumia (October 07, 1963), the favourite candidate, most party faithful believe he ought to be given the nod as the flagbearer, contending that with his economic background he could deliver. As an Economist and Banker, Dr Bawumia has had a prestigious career, which includes, serving as the Deputy Governor of Ghana’s Central Bank from 2006 to 2008 and the Resident Representative of the African Development Bank in Zimbabwe in 2011. He chairs the Government’s Economic Management Team, which is broadly responsible for shaping the government’s policies and guiding their implementation. Mr. Ohene Agyapong (born June 16, 1960), the Assin Central Member of Parliament, whose popularity has been rising at a fast pace, is contesting with a promise to transform the nation’s economy focusing on industrialisation. He has also highlighted the tourism potential of Ghana’s historic castles and forts, particularly those linked to the slave trade and colonialism. He aims to create jobs for the youth, promote patriotism and fight indiscipline and corruption. Dr. Afriyie Akoto (October 19, 1949) is an agricultural economist and a former Member of Parliament for the Kwadaso Constituency – 2009 to 2017. He is a former Minister of Food and Agriculture. He resigned on January 10, 2023, to focus on his presidential ambition. He is credited with designing and implementing the Government’s flagship Planting for Food and Jobs Programme, which was launched on April 19, 2017. His vision is to work assiduously to boost Ghana’s economy by harnessing the country’s agricultural potential based on research, science and technology. Mr. Addai-Nimoh (born March 23, 1965) is a former Member of Parliament for Asante-Mampong. He is also a development planner by profession. He is promising to develop home-grown economic policies to ensure Ghana becomes self-reliant, if given the nod. After voting, there will be a final declaration of the results at the Accra Sports Stadium Saturday evening, where President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will officially hand over the leadership of the Party to the elected flag bearer.
Source: Ghana News Agency