The much anticipated meeting of the National Council ( NC) of the New Patriotic Party( NPP) did not come off as expected yesterday.
It was called off at the last minute due to unforseen developments.
Though party sources would not disclose to the Daily Graphic the reason for the postponement, it was believed that the party had been hauled before the law court by one David Hoezame of Mafi Akyemfo in the Volta Region.
Mr Hoezame filed a writ on June 18 at an Accra Fast Track Court for an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants or any of their servants or agents from going ahead to conduct elections to select a presidential candidate for the party.
Other sources at the party’s headquarters, however, attributed the postponement to the absence of the General Secretary of the party, Mr Kwabena Agyepong, who has travelled outside the country.
The party is yet to appoint some officers, such as deputies for the General Secretary, the National Organiser, the Women’s Organiser and the National Youth Organiser.
The National Council meeting yesterday was to affirm a number of deliberations relating to the party’s presidential primary scheduled for not later than December 6, this year.
Top on the agenda included the consideration of a suggestion for the party to go to an early congress by September this year to bring to an end the needless attacks and counter-attacks among supporters of presidential hopefuls, some of which have been personal, vicious and vitriolic.
It will be recalled that some regional chairmen of the party last Monday asked for the congress to be held earlier than the December date, possibly in September.
Others have kicked against the proposal, describing it as not being in consonance with the party’s constitution.
This is the second time the NC, the second highest decision-making body of the party, is meeting under the chairmanship of Mr Paul Awentami Afoko. They first met on June 6, 2014, when they endorsed a number of issues, including the date for opening of nominations for the presidential primaries.
The NPP constitution mandates the party, when it is in opposition, to open nominations six months before a presidential primary and two years before a general election.
So far, seven aspirants have picked nomination forms to contest the flag-bearer position since nominations opened last Friday, June 6, 2014.
Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, popularly called Alan Cash, became the seventh aspirant to pick his nomination form on Wednesday to contest the primary. The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP for Essikado-Ketan, Mr Joe Ghartey, also picked his nomination forms last Tuesday.
Other aspirants are the 2008 and 2012 flag bearer of the party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; a former Information Minister, Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, and the MP for Mampong, Mr Francis Addai Nimoh.
The rest are a former MP for Offinso North, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, and the MP for Asuogyaman, Mr Kofi Osei Ameyaw.
Both Mr Kyerematen and Dr Konadu Apraku contested the position in 2008 and 2012 but lost to Nana Akufo-Addo.
As of the time of filing this story, none of the seven aspirants had returned his forms.