The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has reminded delegates of the party of the importance of sending the right signals to citizens of the country during the conduct of its upcoming primaries to assure Ghanaians that the country can still undertake other democratic exercises despite COVID-19.

Then NPP will on Saturday, 20 July 2020 hold its parliamentary primaries in 168 constituencies where the party currently has sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) ahead of the 7 December elections.

In a goodwill message signed by the General Secretary of the Party, John Boadu, ahead of the polls, the party commended “all individuals who have played diverse roles towards ensuring that the processes leading to the primaries have thus far been smooth.

“The party is particularly grateful to the aspiring Parliamentary Candidates who graciously decided to withdraw their nomination from the contest to support other candidates in deference to the interventions made by some party elders and the National Executive Committee (NEC) in the supreme interest of the party.

It also thanked “the teeming supporters of all the aspiring candidates for their cooperation thus far. In respect of aspiring parliamentary candidates who have been cleared by NEC to contest in the primaries, the party congratulates them on this feat and wishes them the very best of luck in the primaries.”

The party also indicated that the upcoming primaries will be the first democratic exercise involving “mass participation that the country is going to experience” since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country and “the accompanying restrictions.”

It continued that, “in view of this, the timing is very crucial in sending the right signals that the country can equally undertake the other democratic exercises ahead of us including the continuation of the Ghana card registration, the EC’s upcoming new voter registration and the conduct of the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

“More importantly, these primaries provide the NPP yet another fine opportunity to demonstrate its unrivalled democratic credentials which have endeared the party to the rest of the world as the citadel of democracy in Africa and beyond.”

It continued further that: “It is instructive to remind ourselves that other countries in Africa and elsewhere including Guinea, Mali, Cameroon, Burundi, Benin, South Korea among others have all been able to successfully hold general elections this year.”

The statement added that: “If Covid-19 could not stop these countries from organising public elections, then it certainly should not be able to stop the NPP and Ghana from undertaking similar exercise” and appealed to all “stakeholders particularly the party’s rank and file to once again strictly adhere to the rules of engagement spelt out by the National Executive Committee including the Coviid-19 health protocols for the conduct of the exercise, and accordingly, approach same with the necessary finesse and candour that it deserves.”

The General Secretary also reminded the delegates that “let it be said once again that the NPP went into these primaries and came out as a much stronger party poised to winning the 2020 general elections in order to continue to deliver prosperity to the Ghanaian people. It is indeed doable, and the NPP shall do it again for the love of God and country.”