Asabee, Apraku rejected; As Nana Akufo-Addo gets massive endorsement

The Special Electoral College (SEC) of the New Patriotic Party yesterday pulled the brakes on the presidential ambitions of Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku and Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng.

The same college, however, overwhelmingly endorsed the candidature of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the 2012 presidential candidate of the party, with an overwhelming endorsement of 599 votes representing over 80.81 per cent.

His closest rival, Mr John Alan Kwadwo  Kyerematen, trailed second with 59 votes, representing 7.9 per cent of the votes.

Messrs Francis Addai Nimoh and Joe Ghartey grabbed 22 votes each, representing 2.9 per cent for each.

Mr Kofi Osei Ameyaw came fifth with a total of 14 votes.

Mr Asamoah Boateng and Dr Apraku got 13 and 10 votes, representing 1.9 and 1.3 per cent respectively.

The party will, however, go to an expanded delegates congress scheduled for  October 18, this year to select the party’s flag bearer for the 2016 elections.

It was a battle of thumbs that had long been won and lost before the party went to the polls to show Mr Boateng and Dr Apraku the exit.

Much to the displeasure of the other candidates, a number of regional executives had thrown their weight behind Nana Addo with his opponents complaining about a violation of the party’s constitution.

Already there is growing debate as to whether apart from the two front runners—Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Mr John Alan Kyerematen—the other three contenders should remove their gloves before the date with delegates in October, given the low figures they recorded during this round of voting.

Nana Akufo-Addo by his performance has passed the popularity test.

Sunyani

Kwame Asiedu Marfo reports that while Dr Apraku and Mr Asamoah-Boateng got two votes apiece, Mr Francis Adai-Nimoh  and Mr Kofi Osei-Ameyaw obtained five votes each.

Mr Kyerematen got 11 votes, while Nana Akufo-Addo secured 42 votes, with Mr Ghartey getting five votes.

In all, 72 out of the 74 delegates cast their votes.

NPP stalwarts who cast their votes in the region included the General Secretary of the party, Mr Kwabena Agyapong, Professor Akumfi Ameyaw, Dr Gyan Baffour and some NPP Members of Parliament in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Takoradi

In the Western Region, the conduct of the elections took place peacefully at the Takoradi Polytechnic, where Nana Akufo-Addo emerged the winner when he secured 45 out of the total 61 votes cast to beat his closest contender, Mr  Kyerematen, who obtained no vote, reports Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah.

Two other candidates, Dr  Apraku and Mr Addae Nimoh, also scored zero while Mr Osei Ameyaw had two of the ballot, with Messrs Joe Ghartey and Stephen Asamoah Boateng picking seven votes apiece.

In all, 68 of the delegates were expected to participate in the special exercise, conducted by the regional office of the Electoral Commission (EC), but 61 of them were able to make it.

Wa

Michael Quaye reports from Wa that the delegates  voted en bloc for Nana Akufo-Addo in the first phase of the party's search for a flag bearer towards the 2016 presidential election.

The other six failed to win a single vote in the rather peaceful polls.

Party delegates had pledged in a written document to Nana Addo during his campaign tour to the region to vote for him.

The party's regional chairman, Alhaji Short, said the one-sided vote was an expression of the region's feeling.

Bolgatanga

Vincent Amenuveve reports that at the special voting in the Upper East Region, 37 out of the 38 delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) voted for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

His closest contender, Mr Addai Nimoh, had one vote while the remaining candidates scored nothing.

Voting ended as early as 10:30 a.m. and counting ended by 3:30 p.m. The special electoral college was made up of constituency executives, regional executives, representatives of the National Council, two Members of Parliament, one founding father and one proxy vote. Mr John Boadu, the National Organiser of the NPP, represented the National Executive of the party in the voting.

Voting was held in a peaceful atmosphere at the Catering Rest House in Bolgatanga.

Initially, the delegates were 39 but due to the death of Joseph Kukeba, a founder member of the party, the number of delegates reduced to 38.

The atmosphere was charged when the number of votes Nana garnered was declared.

Later in an interview, the Regional Chairman of the NPP, Mr Adams Mahama, expressed happiness about the peaceful nature of the process, saying the party needed a bold and marketable leader to ensure victory in the 2016 elections.

Ho

A misunderstanding ensued between the regional chairman, Mr John Peter Amewu, and Mr Ken Anku, a former parliamentary candidate for North Dayi, with the two personalities verbally abusing each other in public at the Catholic Secretariat hall few minutes after the voting exercise had commenced, reports Mary Anane.

The misunderstanding could have marred the voting process if some delegates had not intervened.

It all began when some electronic media approached Mr Amewu, who had then cast his vote, to give them a chance to capture him in a voting posture as they could not capture him when he was casting his vote. 

Obliging to the request, Mr Amewu moved towards the polling booth for that purpose. 

However, Mr Anku, who did not understand why he moved towards the booth, confronted him angrily and that resulted in exchange of words.

In the course of the confrontation, Mr Anku called the regional chairman a traitor and out of anger he responded by saying ‘you are stupid’.  

Obviously infuriated by the word ‘stupid’, Mr Anku replied that ‘the only qualification you have more than me is that you are a big fool’.

Mr Amewu also replied saying ‘that is why I am more intelligent than you’.

In all 51 delegates cast their votes of which Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku had  two votes, Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, one; Francis Addai Nimo, one; Kofi Osei Ameyaw, four; Alan Kyerematen, 14; Nana Akufo-Addo, 28, and Joe Ghartey, one, as announced by the a Deputy Director of the Electoral Commission, Anthony Oppong.

Kumasi

Donald Ato Dapatem reports that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had 86 while his closest contender, Mr Alan K. Kyerematen, had 17 of the 122 valid votes cast. 

Mr Joe Ghartey had two; Stephen Asamoah Boateng, two; Francis Addai Nimo, 10; Dr Kofi K Apraku, three, and Kofi Osei Ameyaw, two.

Out of the 128 voters, six did not turn up to cast their votes.

Just after the results were declared, jubilant supporters with the help of a brass band started dancing with others smearing themselves with white talcum powder.

Against all rules of voting, the Chairman of the NPP, Mr Paul Afoko, surprised both officers of the Electoral Commission and reporters at the College of Engineering auditorium of the KNUST when after marking the ballot he called his aide to witness the person he voted for.

Mr Bernard Antwi Bosiako, the regional chairman, had earlier shown his ballot paper before sliding it into the ballot box.

Tamale

Of the 70 delegates who cast their ballot, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo polled 62 votes with his closest rival, Mr Alan John Kyerematen, obtaining four votes, followed by Messrs Joe Ghartey and Francis Addai-Nimo with two votes each, reports Samuel Duodu. 

Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku and Messrs Kofi Osei Ameyaw and Stephen Asamoah-Boateng failed to secure a single vote.

The election, which was supervised by officials from the Northern Regional Directorate of the Electoral Commission (EC) led by Mr Bruce Ayisi, the Regional Director, was nearly marred with controversy following the alleged display of a cast ballot by a former National Youth Organiser of the NPP, Anthony Karbo.

The action did not go down well with some of the agents of the aspirants, who got furious and called for the nullification of the votes, but this was quickly resolved by the party executives for voting to resume again after 10 minutes.

Cape Coast

Shirley Asiedu-Addo & Zadok Kwame Gyesi report that of the 54 votes cast, Nana Addo polled 51 votes, representing 94.4 per cent. 

Mr Alan Kyeramaten, considered to by the closest contender, polled only one vote while Mr Joe Ghartey had two votes with Mr Asamoah Boateng, Mr Addai Nimoh, Osei Ameyaw and Dr Konadu Apraku all having no votes.

 The Central Region Secretary of the party, Mr Kwamena Duncan, said the overwhelming victory of Nana Addo in the Central Region was a reflection of what would happen in the region in the 2016 general election.

Koforidua

In the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua, Nana Akufo-Addo  polled 77 votes with Mr Adai-Nimo and Mr Alan Kyerematen polling three and two votes respectively.

While Dr Apraku and Mr Osei-Ameyaw had one vote each, Messrs Ghartey and Asamoah-Boateng had no votes.