To ensure that Saturday’s primaries go off without a hitch, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is requesting that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) take into consideration the issues that were brought up by a potential flagbearer for the NDC named Dr. Kwabena Duffuor.
On May 9, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor filed an interlocutory injunction against the NDC’s presidential and parliamentary primaries that were scheduled for May 13, 2023.
The injunction prohibits the party and the Electoral Commission (EC) from holding the primaries pending the presentation of a complete picture album register. The primaries were originally scheduled to take place on May 13.
Additionally, the former Minister of Finance requests that the party send him a copy of the whole voter registration at least five weeks before the election.
In an interview with Citi News, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has a responsibility to ensure that there is no violence during the primaries.
“We have also seen the injunction that was brought by Dr. Duffuor, and we are encouraging the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to have a critical look at it. We as a government are more dedicated to maintaining a calm environment throughout the country, and we will not permit the people to take matters into their own hands with regard to the legal system.
We want the primaries to be successful, but we don’t want there to be any friction, hooliganism, or other forms of behavior that are prohibited by the constitution.
According to the statement made by the NPP’s General Secretary, “at the end of the day, we want them to have credible primaries.”
Even though a judge has issued an injunction against the National Democratic Congress’ presidential and parliamentary primaries scheduled for May 13, the NDC says it is still holding out hope that the elections will go forward as scheduled.
Dr. Kwabena Duffor, one of the presidential candidates, filed an injunction due to concerns about an incomplete and inaccurate photo album. This caused the Electoral Commission to stop its oversight of the election, which has left the NDC’s internal exercise in limbo.
At a meeting that took place on Wednesday, May 10, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, made the announcement that “in order that we are not cited for contempt, the Commission has taken the decision not to supervise the conduct of the presidential and parliamentary elections until after the determination of the case by the court.”
The Election Commission (EC) and the National Democratic Coalition (NDC) were scheduled to meet in order to discuss remaining concerns prior to Saturday’s primary elections; however, the election administration body decided to cancel the meeting.
Nevertheless, the party gave its members the assurance they needed in a statement that measures are being taken to ensure that the event will go on as planned.
“The party is taking all legitimate and legal steps to pave the way for the presidential and parliamentary primaries on Saturday, May 13,” which are scheduled to take place on that day.
A portion of the NDC’s statement said, “The party is therefore confident that this temporary challenge will be quickly overcome to pave the way for the holding of the primaries on schedule.”
