A delegate from the North East Region has expressed his conviction that all voters participating in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential primaries will overwhelmingly support Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
He referred to this initiative as ‘Operation 100%’ in favor of the Vice President.
Dr. Bawumia has been projected by most polls as the lead of the four candidates contending for the party’s flagbearer position in the lead-up to the 2024 General Elections. Notably, he secured a flawless 100% vote in his home region, the North East, during the Super Delegates Conference held on Saturday, August 26.
“For North East, I think that considering the work DMB has done in North East from the past; from the time he was with Bank of Ghana, he became the Vice President, it is obvious that it is Operation 100%,” the delegate said.
Interestingly, the North East Region experienced a notable incident of violence during the previous elections when the polling agent of one of the then ten aspirants, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, was attacked. The agent, Ali Zakaria, reportedly confronted a delegate at the Dining Hall of Nalerigu Senior High School, the venue for the event, for publicly displaying his vote to the cameras, a violation of the regulations. This incident among other reasons, led to the resignation of Alan Kyerematen from the NPP.
The unwavering support from the delegates of the North East Region illustrates their commitment to propelling their representative to the pinnacle of Ghanaian politics.
Earlier, a member of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s campaign team, Anthony Abayifaa Karbo, emphasized that Dr. Bawumia remained focused on his campaign, undeterred by the verbal attacks from his opponent. Karbo stated that the Vice President was fully committed to his campaign objectives and opted not to engage in responding to the attacks, treating them as a family feud.
“It was a family feud and we decided not to respond to the job but rather focus on the campaign”, the former Lawra Member of Parliament indicated.
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, exercised his right to vote at the party’s headquarters in Accra.
The highly anticipated flagbearer election for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is currently in progress across 277 polling centers nationwide. With over 200,000 delegates expected to cast their votes, the exercise is scheduled to conclude at 3:00 pm.
The candidates vying for the position include Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central Constituency, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, former Minister of Food and Agriculture Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and former MP for Mampong, Francis Addai-Nimoh.
Kennedy Psyched To Not Resign
Following the resignation of Alan Kyerematen from the party consequent to his loss in the Super Delegates elections earlier in August, pundits predicted Kennedy might follow those footsteps should he not win in the delegates conference too.
However, Kennedy Agyapong, one of the leading contenders, after casting his votes, expressed his readiness to support the eventual winner of the poll, affirming his commitment to the party’s cause.
“I have psyched myself for whatever the outcome will be. Even if I lose, I will still support the winner to break the 8,” he assured.
On November 2, 2023, all four candidates signed an undertaking during a meeting with the National Council of Elders in Accra. The memorandum of understanding aimed to ensure that they would accept the primary results, promote peace, and foster unity within the party.
However, there were also reports of a delegate from the Asokwa Constituency in the Ashanti Region discovering that his name was missing from the voter’s register during the flagbearer elections, despite his intention to participate in the voting process. He expressed his disappointment at not being able to cast his vote due to this oversight.
“I should have been at a funeral today but I sacrificed that to come here and vote only to be told that my name is not on the album,” he said.
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