Though many party members have declared their intention to contest the presidential primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ahead of the 2016 presidential election, a maximum of five will only be allowed to contest in the race.

This rule was adopted by the party’s National Council in 2007 after 17 candidates contested to lead the party for the 2008 elections, sending wrong signals to the Ghanaian populace about a seeming division in the party, a high-ranking officer of the party said.

In an interview on TV3’s Hot Issues on Saturday, January 25, 2014, Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, the National Chairman of the NPP, said the party has not yet opened nominations for the presidential primaries and he is unaware about the number of members who want to contest.

“I know who I support,” he stated, however. “He is the best person to contest in 2016, but I am not free to comment on that publicly or any other way.”

Already, persons such as Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku and Alan Kyeremanten have declared their intentions to contest the race come what may.

Others like Nana Akomea and Isaac Osei say they will stand if the party’s 2008 and 2012 Flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo refuses to offer himself again for election.

Reports are that about 12 persons including Joe Ghartey, Dr Kobina Arthur Kennedy and Papa Owusu Ankomah have an outside-the-pale interest in contesting NPP's presidential primaries, which will be held not later than December.

“If there should be more than five, there would have to be a pre-selection voting that will be handled by the National Council,” Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey told host Kwesi Pratt Jnr.

He said the party is currently concentrating on its internal elections to get executives for the various polling stations, constituencies and regions before the national executive elections on March 1.