The Northern Regional Communication Director of the New Patriotic Party, Mr Mohammed Abdul Kodus, has said the party will start mounting stands and decorations at the venue of the congress on Monday, April 7, towards the party’s national delegates conference scheduled for April 12, 2014.
He said 1,200 security personnel would be detailed there to ensure a violence-free event in the region.
He told the Ghana News Agency that one wing of the stadium would be dedicated to observers, while the other wing would be allocated to VVIPs and the media.
Former President Kufuor, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Mr Alan Kyeremanten, as well as some MPs and other party stalwarts, will be expected at the event.
Mr Kodus said some 5,200 delegates were expected to cast their ballot to choose national leaders for the party.
Meanwhile, Tamale Sports Stadium, the venue for the NPP National Delegates’ Congress, is ready for the event, but there are no activities at the stadium to show that something will be happening there in the next 10 days.
Mr John Bosco Abase, Northern Regional Director of Sports, told the Ghana News Agency last Tuesday that all that was needed for the Sports Directorate to do had been done to host the congress, which is slated to start on April 11.
He said the party had officially booked the facility for the programme, and that his outfit had carried out the necessary preparations to receive the party delegates.
“We have carried out many maintenance, such as fixing the lighting system to ensure that the venue is well-lighted, and have serviced all air-conditions in the conference rooms,” he said.
Mr Abase said to ensure that the power outages did not affect the event, the generator set for the facility, which has never been serviced since it was bought, had been serviced as back-up in case of power outages.
On security, he said the inner perimeter where ballot boxes would be placed had been secured and all the exit points would be opened to facilitate the movement of people to and from the stadium, without disturbing the electoral process at the inner perimeter.
At the time of the visit to the venue, the GNA spotted only the posters of Madam Otiko Jaba, who is contesting for the National Women’s Organiser position, and Mr Paul Afoko, who is also contesting for the National Chairmanship.