The National Democratic Congress (NDC) will be electing its flagbearer and parliamentary candidates today Saturday, May 13.
The elections will be supervised by the Electoral Commission (EC).
The EC, which initially pulled out of the elections, explained that it decided to supervise the polls following the withdrawal of the two separate court injunction applications filed by Dr Kwabena Duffuor and Mr Egdar Asamoah Boateng.
A statement issued by the Chair of the Commission Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa on Friday Masy 12 said ” Following the discontinuance of the application for an injunction seeking to restrain the EC from conducting the National Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries by the applicants namely Dr Kwabena Duffuor and Mr Edgar Asamoah Boateng, all legal barriers have been removed and the way is now clear for the Commission to supervise the Conduct of the NDC primaries slated for Saturday 13th May 2023.
“The Commission has this afternoon held meetings with the leadership of the NDC to finalize modalities for the conduct of the elections. Arrangements are being put in place to ensure credible and transparent elections.”
Prior to the EC’s statement, the National Chairman of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia had indicated that the party was expecting the Commission to conduct the primaries because the court issues had been dealt with.
Mr Asiedu Nketia said executives of the party met the EC officials and explained to them that the matter in court had been resolved therefore, they are expecting the elections management body to be present and conduct the polls for them.
He explained that if anything at all should affect the polls, it should be the dispatch of electoral materials to all the voting centers but he said the party has made arrangements to transport all the materials in record time for the exercise to come on.
“We are looking forward to them performing their obligation,” he said at a press conference in Accra on Friday, May 12.
“But the election directorate of the party should be on standby,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Duffuor has withdrawn from the race.
He said that the party was not ready to conduct free and fair election.
Taking part in such an election, he said, would be akin to knowingly drinking from a poisoned calabash.
At a press conference in Accra on Friday May 12, just a day to the elections, he said”“At the meeting chaired by the former speaker of parliament, Rt Hori Edward Doe Adjaho, all stakeholders at the meeting agreed that the Party Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia would immediately set up a technical team comprising the technical representatives from the 3 presidential aspirants and the party’s election committee to determine how soon the irregularities with the voters register could be resolved in readiness for the Presidential primaries. The technical committee was to subsequently submit a report to parties after this had been determined As I speak with you, our technical team is currently at the Party headquarters to undertake this activity.
“However, despite the assurances given to myself and my team by the Chairman of the party, the executives of the party, in a complete and unacceptable breach of faith, went ahead to convene a press conference announcing that the elections would go ahead tomorrow, without having resolved the concerns surrounding the voters register as decided at the meeting of the Council of Elders”