General News of Thursday, 3 October 2013

Source: Joy Online

Angry NPP supporters reject early presidential primary

Angry NPP supporters besieged the party headquarters where National Executive Committee were meeting over fresh proposals to prepare the party for the 2016 general elections.

Top on their agenda was whether the party should hold an early congress to elect a presidential candidate for the 2016 elections or not.

The steering committee of the party early this week included this proposal to be considered by the party’s national executive council before the national executives are also elected.

But some supporters of the party are against moves by the party leaders to hold early congress.

A section of the group that besieged the party headquarters said they were convinced Nana Akufo-Addo, NPP’s 2012 presidential candidate will win the 2016 so there was no need for an early election. The supporters clad in red apparel are rather calling for accountability.

It took a handful of heavily armed police personnel to bring them to order.

One of them told Joy News’ Beatrice Adu, “We want our party to go through polling station election, constituency election, go through regional election, subsequently national and then we will have our national and then presidential primary.”

He also wants all candidates to be given fair and equal treatment especially persons contesting for parliamentary election to minimize the number of aggrieved candidates who would want to go independent.

Present at the National Executive Council meeting included former President John Kufuor, Minority Leader in Parliament Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and former Attorney General Ayikoi Otoo.