A New Patriotic Party presidential aspirant, Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko, has formally withdrawn from the upcoming run-off election to determine the 5th aspirant.
His withdrawal comes after NPP announced that the National Council will constitute a smaller group to elect one contender between Mr Agyarko and his competitor Francis Addai Nimoh who were both 5th in the just-ended super delegates conference.
In a press release, Mr Ayarko described it as unconstitutional for the National Council to shortlist a few individuals to represent the 955 individuals who participated in the first round.
Citing other legal breaches, Mr Agyarko said the establishment of an electoral college also flouts the party’s constitution.
He said it is totally unacceptable to him that such an unconstitutional act can be perpetuated on the altar of expediency.
Boakye Agyarko said “Rules and regulations that are flip-flopped in such a manner is only detrimental to fair play and justice and a clear violation of the party’s constitution and the guidelines for the Special Electoral College, adding that it is an unconstitutional act which he will not to be associated with.
He therefore served the notice to refrain from such a contest and wished the party well.
On Wednesday, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) said Members of the National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will vote on Saturday, September 2, 2023, to break the tie for the fifth position between Francis Addai-Nimoh and Boakye Agyarko.
The election will take place exclusively at the party’s headquarters in Accra.
The decision for the run-off to break the tie between the two presidential aspirants was taken after the party’s National Executive Committee and the National Council meeting which took place in Accra.
The General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Frimpong Kodua, said the decision to limit the run-off to the National Council instead of the 956 delegates across the country was aimed at saving cost.
Mr Kodua said the delegates for this Saturday’s run-off would not be the delegates who took part in last Saturday’s election but it would be the National Council that would break the tie, meaning that members of the National Council would be the delegates for the run-off on Saturday.
He said the reason being that the Super Delegates had membership which included the party’s external branches who came from abroad to vote, and that some had left, and also Article 23 of the party’s constitution gave the National Council the power to take decisions for the wellbeing of the party.
Boakye Agyarko and Addai-Nimoh secured nine votes each in the NPP Special Electoral College election held last Saturday, and therefore, there must be a run-off to break the tie for one of them to join the top four to become the fifth person for the flagbearership contest on November 4.
The top four candidates who were selected by the delegates in the Special Electoral College election for the main primary on November 4 were Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia; the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong; a former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, and a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto.

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