The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has revealed that a run-off vote, would be held on Saturday, September 2, for Boakye Agyarko and Francis Addai-Nimoh who tied for fifth place with nine (9) votes each, in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential election held on Saturday, August 26.
The Special Delegates Conference was set up to narrow the field of candidates to five before the final vote on November 4, 2023, but both candidates received nine votes, tying in the fifth.
In a press conference, the head of the elections committee, Mike Oquaye, announced that if neither of the two candidates withdraws, the party will hold a second election on Saturday, September 2, to settle the fate of Boakye Agyarko and Francis Addai Nimoh.
The Vice president, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, received 629 votes, or 68.15% of the vote, to win the super delegates conference. Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong finished in second place with 132 votes, or 14.30%, followed by Former trade minister Alan Kyerematen who finished third with 95 votes, or 10.29%.
According to the outcomes, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Ken Agyapong led in the results respectively as first and second for the NPP’s Presidential primary elections in November. Neither of the two individuals has previously sought the office of President. This will be a big test for Bawumia and Agyapong in the November primaries. To become the NPP’s flagbearer, they will need to garner the support of more than 200,000 delegates from all throughout the nation. In the general election in December 2024, the victor of the primaries will compete against John Dramani Mahama of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Moreover, the win of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is considered as a significant boost to his presidential aspirations. He is the currently serving as Vice President, and many party members view him as a reliable advisor.
Also, the unexpected second-place finish by Kennedy Agyapong is a significant shock. He is both a contentious and well-liked figure. He is renowned for speaking his mind and challenging authority figures.
Special Delegates Conference Was Unnecessary
However, Prof. Kobby Mensah, a political marketing expert, claimed that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) did not need to restrict the number of candidates running for flagbearer.
After the voting on Saturday, he stated that having more participants improved the party’s cohesion and was crucial for democratic processes.
“The party did not address the concerns of 2008 properly. There was a public outcry that almost 17 aspirants who were ministers at the time had filed in a very substantial amount of money, and people felt that they had used state resources. However, this is a democracy, and we encourage democracy and participation. So, if we have 17 aspirants participating, and they are genuine in their participation, and people don’t think that they actually had the funds from state coffers, then why should we have a problem with that? I personally believe that the more participation we have from people in the race, the more beneficial it is to our democratic process.
“There was no need for this administrative decision by a few selected people to reduce the number of candidates, if the process was genuine and people felt that the candidates actually relied on their own resources. I think that because campaigning is a period of intensity, the more genuine candidates there are to contest, the better it is for the party because they will use their various strengths to energize the party.”
Prof Kobby Mensah
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