NDC sets date for parliamentary primaries

Any member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who campaigns before the party opens nomination for primaries at constituencies with sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) will be disqualified.

The party has taken the decision to allow sitting MPs to have the peace of mind to concentrate on the work of Parliament until such a time that the National Executive Committee of the party decides on a date for the opening of nominations for such constituencies.

The General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, gave the caution when he addressed the press outlining the guidelines governing the party’s primaries to elect aspiring parliamentarians at places where the party has no sitting MPs.

He said the National Executive Committee (NEC) had not opened nominations for constituencies with sitting MPs, and cautioned those interested in contesting these seats, “be they ministers, deputy ministers, DCEs or board members to wait till we fix a date. If they peak before time we will cut them off”.

The General Secretary noted that the constituency executives had the responsibility to monitor and bring to book all those who wished to contest the seat and might flout the regulations.

Nominations for orphaned constituencies open from August 16 to September 16, followed by vetting which begins from the constituency, regional and national levels. Various constituency executives are to set appropriate dates for voting to elect the aspirants between October 1 and October 31.

Nomination forms would be sold at all constituency and regional offices at a cost of GH¢200. A male aspirant must pay a filing fee of GH¢2,000, while female aspirants would pay GH¢1,000. The reduction of the fees for the females forms part of the NDC’s moves towards encouraging more women to contest.

Aspiring candidates should be proposed by one person and seconded by four persons all of whom must be NDC members of good ,standing in the constituency. Each contestant shall be endorsed by one member of good standing in the party from all the branches within the constituency.

All aspirants must first meet the constitutional requirement of an MP and must also not be facing any disciplinary action from the party.

Mr Asiedu-Nketia announced that the NEC of the party had disbanded all mushroom organisations that were formed prior to the congress to elect a flag bearer, advising that all those who believed in President Mills and Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and formed these organisations should come under the umbrella of the NDC, once the congress was over.

He said the party had informed its media analyst group and executive members not to respond to effusions and accusations from members of any of the mushroom organisations such as FONKAR, GAME, OLONKA, SADDAM and KWAME.

Mr Aseidu-Nketia said former President Rawlings has an official spokesperson, Mr Kofi Adams, and that if he wanted to communicate to the party or to Ghanaians, he would do so through Mr Adams or by himself and not through any group of people.