Voting underway for NPP election

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NPP Voting
NPP Voting

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) goes to the polls today to?elect a flagbearer who will lead the party for the crucial?2016 general elections.

NPP Voting
NPP Voting

In the race are three leading members of the party,?namely, two-time flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-?Addo; Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, who had contested for?the position twice and Francis Addai-Nimoh, Member of?Parliament (MP) for Mampong in the Ashanti Region.

The three, who have been touring the length and?breadth of the country, meeting delegates to solicit for?their votes, brought their campaign activities to an end?last Thursday evening after?months of intensive and rigorous?campaigning which were sometimes?characterised with allegations,?counter allegations and?acrimony.

In all, 144,000 delegates from?national to polling station executives?and the Diaspora are expected?to cast their votes to decide?who becomes the NPP flagbearer?by the close of day when the?results of the elections are?declared by officials of the Electoral?Commission (EC) at the Efua?Southerland Children?s Park,?Accra.

Voting would take place in all?the 275 constituencies across the?nation, with a special polling station?to be located at the Asylum?Down national headquarters of
the party for a certain category of?delegates to vote there.

Voting is expected to commence?at 7:00 am and close by?3:00 pm after which counting?would begin in earnest.

Predictions
Many of the predictions that?have been made so far put Nana?Akufo-Addo way ahead of the?other contestants.

He is highly tipped to emerge?victorious with a commanding?lead?not less than 90 per cent of?the total votes that will be cast??judging from his performance in
the recently held special delegates??congress, which was used?to shortlist the number of aspirants?from the initial seven to five.

In that August 31, super delegates??congress, Nana Akufo-?Addo secured over 80 per cent of?the total votes cast, with his closest?challenger, Alan Kyerematen,
garnering 7.98 per cent and trailed?by Addai-Nimoh with 2.98 per?cent.

For many, not much of a difference?would come between the?outcome of today?s election and?that of the special delegates? congress,?apart from the fact that the
number of delegates would?increase from 740 to 144,000.

If anything at all, many are of?the belief that Akufo-Addo would?increase his percentage margin to?90 and above, especially when?two other aspirants?Joe Ghartey,?MP for Essikado and Kofi Osei-?Ameyaw, MP for Asuogyaman?
had bowed out of the race and?given their support to him (Nana).

For some, the only surprise?that could possibly happen in?today?s flagbearership race is for?Addai-Nimoh to come ahead of?Alan Kyerematen.

Endorsement
Nana Akufo-Addo decided to?climax his campaign with a rally?at Lapaz, a suburb of Accra,?where Alan had previously?launched his.

The mammoth crowd that?poured out to witness the event?alone was enough to send a signal?of what was likely to happen?today.

Aside that, he had the?endorsement of all the 34 constituency?chairmen as well as that?of the 14 NPP MPs in the Greater?Accra Region and that of the?regional executives.

Rawlings? Boy Joins
Ahead of today?s elections, a?known National Democratic Congress?(NDC) member and former?President Rawlings? boy, John?Vianney, had endorsed the candidature?of Akufo-Addo saying,

?The man for the job at this material?moment of our nation is Nana?Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo?,?describing him as ?a man that has?shown tenacity of purpose in life?and for Ghana.?

?I would prefer a short and?old President with leadership?skills to a tall and young President?who himself must be led,? he said?while reiterating, ?I am for Nana.?

The delegates, he said, ?Cannot?afford to disappoint us?,?pointing out that ?Ghana under?Nana would be a kind of independence?for us all.?

Alan?s Bit
Alan Kyerematen also climaxed?his campaign with a rally?in Kumasi on Thursday and a?press conference at the Ellking?Hotel in East Legon, Accra, yesterday?when he enumerated his?plans for the party if elected flagbearer.

He harped on his promise?to put officials of the party at the?constituency level on monthly?salaries while acquiring motorbikes?and bicycles for them.

The only familiar faces that?came around were spokesman for?former President John Agyekum?Kufuor, Frank Agyekum; Davis?Opoku Ansah, popularly called
OPK, an aide to NPP General Secretary,?Kwabena Agyepong and?KK, the serial caller with Nana?Ohene-Ntow, Alan?s spokesperson.

Nothing much was heard of?Addai-Nimoh?s mopping-up?activities.

The Mampong MP believes?that he is a unifier and that the?party should give him the mandate.

After all is said and done, the?rank and file of the party would?converge at the popular Efua?Sutherland Children?s Park,?directly opposite the National?Theatre.

BY Charles Takyi-Boadu

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