At The Crossroads: Attempted ‘Coup D’etat’ In NPP?

The National Delegates Conference (NDC) is the highest decision making body of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). It’s the decisions adopted at the NDC that shape the content and character of the party within a given period; before another is held to deal with the exigencies of the times.

Every organ of the party source its powers and functions from the decisions taken by the NDC. The NPP is scheduled to hold its National Delegates Conference in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital tomorrow, December 19^th, 2021. In all some 38 amendments are being proposed for consideration at the one-day Conference.

But certain aspects of the proposed amendments are setting some party executives and members on the edge. One such amendment, is the proposal to cede the power to amend the party’s constitution to the National Executive Committee (NEC).

In the current arrangement, the power to amend a sensitive document like the NPP constitution is the exclusive preserve of the National Delegates Conference. The wisdom behind the move is to engage and have the inputs of the broader spectrum of party members.

That was the expressed legal opinion of the framers of the NPP constitution authored by legal luminaries like B. J. da Rocha, Peter Ala-Adjetey, Alhaji Kwaw Swanzy among others. The NDC is a conference of representatives of the party from all over the country.

Any decision taken at the conference setting, is thus an approval of the majority and all organs of the party including the NEC. That means even the NEC is a subset of the NDC. If the proposed amendment to cede such over-whelming powers to the National Executive Committee, which some of its members are seeking for re-election, it will narrow some far-reaching decisions of the party into the hands of a handful.

It’s a proposal that many within the party have described as “attempted coup” by the NEC to limit the chances of many aspirants in the upcoming NPP executive and presidential elections. There is also the fear that they (NEC) members will use same powers to draft certain conditions that will inure to the benefit of their members and their favourites in the NPP presidential race.

It’s no longer news that most of the NEC members, including the governing administration are in support of the presidential bidding of Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. There is therefore, the believe that the said amendment is being done to ensure a Bawumia success in the NPP presidential nomination.

But insiders from the camps of other presidential hopefuls have hinted this author that they will resist any attempts by the very few executives to hijack the party to pursue the presidential agenda of the Vice President.

“We shall let them know that the NPP was founded on principles and no one can derail that principles for their parochial and selfish interests. No! It won’t happen”, the source warned. The other stalwarts in the NPP presidential race include Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen, two former Ministers of State— Joe Ghartey and Boakye Agyako.

Others are Dr.  Akoto Afriyie, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku with others deemed to be lacing their boots to enter into the fray at the right time. Article 19 of the NPP constitution indicates clearly that “every amendment of this constitution shall be made at the National Delegates Conference, provided however, that no amendment shall be made unless:

“Notice of such amendment has been submitted in writing to the General Secretary not later than two months before National Delegates Conference; the General Secretary has circulated the proposed amendment to every Regional and Constituency office at least one month, before the National Delegates Conference; and at least two-thirds of the delegates at the National Delegates Conference cast their votes in favour of the amendment.”

None of the three major steps in the party’s constitutional amendments, for now the first two, had been adhered to prior to the coming Sunday Conference. It’s the contention of many that the contentious non-compliant agenda was hatched at the December 15^th 2021 sitting of the NEC in Accra.

“The moves to subvert the power of the Conference so that the proposals for constitutional amendments will be ceded to the NEC was hatched at the December 15^th meeting at the party headquarters”, a key member of the Alan Kyerematen campaign team told this writer.

The decision not to discuss proposals for constitutional amendments at the tomorrow Conference, according to the NEC, is because the proposed amendments are so many that the party cannot finish with all, even within a week.