NPP MUST MAINTAIN PRESENT POLLING STATION EXECUTIVES (PAGE 16)

THE Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Robert Yaw Amankwaa, has appealed to the top hierarchy of the party to maintain the present polling station executives throughout the country until the 2012 general election.
This, he contended, would avoid any form of infiltration by any rival party and sow seeds of discord within the NPP fraternity.
Mr Amankwaa said the election of NPP executives should rather be centred on the constituency and regional levels, explaining that “at those levels, it is difficult for our opponents to infiltrate our camp”.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, he said that the decision of the party to elect five polling station executives to take part in the election of their flag bearer was in the right direction, “but we should not rush to implement our decisions now”.
He pointed out that with the expansion of the electoral college to include polling station executives, “the likelihood is that our opponents could easily infiltrate our camp, get elected and eventually indulge in activities that could wreck our chances of coming back to power in 2012”.
He said “prior to the 2008 general election, some of our opponents were able to get access to fake party cards and behaved as if they were party members. It was those people who created a lot of problems in the party and undermined our efforts to retain power”.
The Regional Chairman pointed out that the present polling station executives who fought tirelessly for the cause of the party, “should be recognised and allowed to function to enhance a firm party grip at the grass roots”.
Mr Amankwaa said the party’s opponents were bent on wrecking havoc to the party in order to entrench the power of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He said it had now come to light that some of their opponents had infiltrated their camp during the 2008 general election, and this, primarily, was a contributory factor that caused the party’s defeat”.
By 2012, he said, they would have known their rightful members at the polling station level who should be given the nod to be part of the decisions to elect a flag bearer.
He, however, noted that the aged and the sick who could not support effective organisation of the party at the grass roots levels as well as dormant executive members at the grass roots, should be replaced to enhance effective organisation of the party.
“The National Chairman, National Executive Council and the National Executive Committee of the NPP should ponder over this humble appeal and suspend the decision to carry out the election for new polling station executives for the party, because it is likely to affect our chances of returning to power in 2012,” he noted
On the special delegates conference in Accra which amended portions of the constitution of the party, Mr Amankwaa said it was not only held in a peaceful manner, but also ended successfully.
He said that reinforced the democratic nature of the party and the principles of the founding fathers.
He said prior to the conference, there were rumours that there would be a confusion among party members because of their differences, “but we came out more united than ever, and my prayer is that we should put aside all our differences and support initiatives that will enhance our chances of returning to power after the 2012 general election”.