Delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have overwhelmingly rejected Motion 17, a proposal that sought to amend the party’s constitution to shift oversight of Polling Station and Electoral Area elections from constituency executives to Regional Executive Committees.
The vote took place on Saturday, July 19, during the party’s National Delegates Conference at the University of Ghana Stadium in Accra. Nearly 6,000 delegates from across the country gathered to consider 56 motions drawn from over 300 proposals aimed at restructuring the party after its defeat in the 2024 general elections.
Motion 17 sought to amend Article 7(30) of the NPP constitution. The change would have empowered Regional Executive Committees to appoint independent supervisors to manage grassroots elections, effectively removing Polling Station, Electoral Area, and Constituency Officers from the process.
Proponents of the motion argued that transferring supervision to the regional level would eliminate potential conflicts of interest.
“Constituencies are directly involved in the compilation of the album for organising Polling Station and Constituency elections. It is therefore prudent that supervision of these elections should be taken to the regional level to absolve it from any conflict of interest,” the motion stated.
Despite the justification, delegates strongly opposed the proposal, favoring the current arrangement that keeps election supervision in the hands of local party executives. Many saw the move as a threat to grassroots autonomy and accountability.
The rejection highlights the party base’s desire to retain local control over internal election processes—an important measure of trust and transparency among the rank and file.
The broader goal of the conference, according to Planning Committee Chair Joseph Osei Owusu, is to reflect on the party’s future and refine its internal systems. Themed “Rebuilding Together with our Values,” the event marks a crucial step in the NPP’s efforts to recover and reenergize after its electoral loss.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
