Some delegates participating in the governing New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential primary have been prohibited from taking their mobile phones into the voting booths.
This directive, jointly issued by the NPP leadership and the Electoral Commission (EC), aims to curb potential vote buying during the process.
Delegates at various voting centres were either asked to switch off their phones or leave them outside the inner perimeters of the polling centres.
This measure was observed at locations like Ablekuma West and Sagnarigu.
Presiding officers emphasized that this step was crucial to uphold the integrity and secrecy of the electoral process.
They also provided multiple voting screens for delegates’ convenience.
This critical poll involves over 200,000 party delegates and is seen as a pivotal step in breaking the eight-year election cycle pattern in Ghana.The delegates, who make up the Electoral College comprise Members of Parliament, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, ministers and their deputies, foundation members of the NPP, members of the party’s National Council and patrons and council of elders. The rest are regional party officers, constituency officers, constituency patrons, constituency elders, electoral area coordinators, polling station executives, overseas branches and members of Tescon, the tertiary students’ wing of the party.
The four contenders in the race are Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Assin Central MP, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, former Food and Agric Minister, Dr Owusu Akoto Afriyie, and former MP, Francis Addai-Nimoh.
While Dr. Bawumia is considered a frontrunner, Kennedy Agyapong is expected to compete strongly, after he shockingly emerged second during the party’s super delegates conference ahead of former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen.
