NPP Aspirants Cry Foul

As the furore generated by New Patriotic Party (NPP) UK branch election results to test the popularity of the seven presidential candidates vying for the flagbearership slot of the party is yet to settle, the Germany branch has also released its results with Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo topping the rest. Nana Akufo-Addo in this case, had 99.5% of the votes cast across all the 10 local Chapters, earning the three votes from the Germany branch at the super delegates congress scheduled for August 31. It was only in the Berlin Chapter that Alan Kyerematen had votes to record 0.5% aggregate, with all the other aspirants scoring zero in all the 10 branches. Speaking to DAILY GUIDE last night, Alhassan Yakubu Tali, branch chairman, said the party decided to organise the polls to allow members a say in who they should vote for; �and it was overwhelming that virtually all members said Nana Akufo-Addo, except in Berlin where Mr. Kyerematen had votes.� Mr. Yakubu Tali said the poll was conducted in a very transparent manner which allowed everyone to have an input in who should lead the party for the 2016 general elections. In the case of the UK polls, Nana Akufo-Addo polled 92%, with Alan and Asamoah Boateng sharing 8% as the rest scored zero. �At a special general meeting in London on 21 August�called to allow members to express their wishes for our preferred candidate in our forthcoming flagbearer elections, London, and the other UK Chapters overwhelmingly voted to mandate their delegates to vote for Nana Akufo-Addo as its preferred choice at the Super Delegates� Congress to be held at designated polling centres across Ghana on 31 of August, 2014, and the flagbearer congress on 18 October. Nana Akufo-Addo polled over 90% of the votes,� a statement issued by the communication team of the UK branch on Friday indicated. Foul Cry However, just after the results of the UK poll were released, three of the candidates�Alan Kyerematen, Francis Adai Nimoh and Kofi Osei Ameyaw�have disagreed to the outcome. They questioned not the results of the poll, but the motive in organising such an election. Francis Addai Nimoh told Joy FM he had no knowledge of any such poll. He did not understand why as presidential candidate he was not consulted before the elections were held. Mr. Osei-Ameyaw is undoubtedly convinced the poll was flawed and served no other purpose than that of propaganda. Spokesperson for Alan Kyeremeten, Nana Ohene-Ntow, said �The election lacks merit; completely unconstitutional, improper and unacceptable. Short of its propagandist value, it is a complete nuisance,� Ohene Ntow said. But the Secretary of the branch, Dr. John Kissi, said the power and authority to organise the poll was taken from the branch executives in UK and did not require permission from the national executives or from the candidates involved. He explained that when delegates are selected to vote on behalf of the UK branch of the party, those delegates are not necessarily to make their own choice. Rather, they vote for the collective interest and choice of the branch. He said the elections held in UK were to test the popularity of the candidates and to inform the final delegates on the preferred choice of candidate by the branch. When he was asked if this was a novelty, he partly answered in the affirmative saying, �In the past it was only the branch executives who were made to vote ahead of such internal elections.�