Former Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has proposed sweeping changes to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) constitution that would shield a sitting President from facing internal party primaries, provided no disqualifying circumstances exist. The proposal forms part of a wide-ranging constitutional amendment submitted for consideration by the party.
According to the proposed amendment under Article 13, when the NPP is in government, the incumbent President shall not be contested in the party’s presidential primaries unless circumstances arise that could render the President ineligible to contest as stipulated under the 1992 Constitution.
In place of a primary, the National Executive Committee (NEC) would establish a 13-member Adhoc Committee tasked with assessing the performance of the incumbent President. This committee would include representatives from the Council of Elders, the Parliamentary Group, Regional Chairpersons, the Constitutional and Legal Committee, academia, the business community, TESCON, the media, and a prominent Ghanaian woman.
This committee, to be constituted no later than 15 months before the national presidential election, would conduct its work in camera and submit a final report to the NEC. If the President is deemed eligible and no disreputable conduct is found, the NEC shall approve the President as the Party’s sole candidate.
In situations where there is no incumbent President, the process of electing a presidential candidate would begin four months before the general election. The party would issue notices detailing the commencement and closing dates of nominations, and a National Congress would be convened to elect the presidential candidate.
Furthermore, the amendment maintains that all card-bearing members of the Party will vote to elect the presidential candidate once the top three contestants have emerged through a special electoral college. “The contestant who obtains a simple majority of the votes cast shall be the Party’s Presidential Candidate,” the document states.
Another notable change is the requirement that any national officer, Minister, Deputy Minister, MMDCE, or other government appointee intending to contest in the presidential primaries must resign their position not later than 24 months before the party’s internal election.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also proposes that the Vice-Presidential Candidate be a known and active member of the party for not less than six years. However, the National Council may waive this requirement under special circumstances.
These amendments reflect an effort to formalize the process of selecting presidential candidates within the NPP, strengthen party unity, and eliminate what the proposals suggest are disruptive and unnecessary primaries when the party is already in power.
