Sixty-five candidates will contest unopposed in the upcoming Parliamentary Primaries of the New Patriotic Party scheduled for June 20, 2020.

Mr John Boadu, the General Secretary of the Party, who made this known at a news conference in Accra on Monday, said most of their contenders voluntarily withdrew from the contest, to support them after having been engaged in an extensive discussion by the leadership of the Party.

The reasons for engaging them in a conversation, which led to their voluntary withdrawal included; the demanding and crucial roles they played in the House of Parliament, the intention of encouraging gender balance in the Party’s political landscape, and the contribution of the unopposed candidates who are incumbent Members of Parliament to their jurisdictions, he said.

The candidates contesting unopposed include; Madam Freda Prempeh (Tano North), Madam Patricia Appiagyei (Asokwa), Mr Isaac Kwame Asiamah (Atwima Mponua), Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu (Bekwai), Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum (Bosomtwe), Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh (Manhyia South), Mr Ntim Augustine Collins (Offinso North), Mr Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu (Suame), Mr Siaka Stevens (Jaman North), and Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah (Sunyani West).

Others are; Mr Ken Ohene Agyapong (Assin Central), Madam Mavis Hawa Koomson (Awutu Senya East), Mr Bryan Acheampong (Abetifi), Mr Samuel Atta Akyea (Abuakwa South), Mrs Abena Osei-Asare (Atiwa East), Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah (Atiwa West), Mr Daniel Botwe (Okere), Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah (Ofoase-Ayerebi), Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful (Ablekuma West), and Mr Henry Quartey (Ayawaso Central).

Mr Boadu, explaining the guidelines and modalities for the election said there shall be no elections in constituencies, where there are unopposed candidates.

However, delegates in those constituencies would be required to converge at the Electoral Area or Zonal Level for candidates to address them.

The venue for the meeting, he said, shall be determined by the National Parliamentary Vetting Committee for each Region in consultation with the sole candidate to smoothen the process based on situation-specific dynamics. “This process is not subject to Regulation (1) and Regulation (9) of these guidelines. This means it can be held in more than a day, and does not also have to start from 0700 hours to 1300 hours,” he said.

Meanwhile, primaries in the Kwadaso (Ashanti Region), Gushegu (Northern Region), and Dormaa Central (Bono Region) constituencies have been suspended until further notice.

The General Secretary speaking about the Presidential Candidature of the Party, said at the close of the Party’s Presidential Nomination, only one candidate, ‘Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’, filed to contest as the 2020 Presidential Candidate.

The National Council, had therefore, resolved to acclaim the sole candidate, he said, and gave an assurance that the Party would soon announce a date for the acclamation.

Mr Boadu said the Party, would warrant a strict compliance with the COVID-19 safety protocols by making sure that not more than 100 people congregate at a voting centre.

It would also make available alcohol-based hand sanitizers at each polling centre for delegates to sanitize their hands before participating in the polls.

The Party, he said, had procured nose masks to be distributed to all delegates.