The exercise which opened on Friday, May 26, 2023, saw 10 out of the 11 flagbearer hopefuls file their nominations in their bid to lead the party in the 2024 general election.

A former Minister of Justice and Attorney General and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Essikado-Ketan in the Western Region, Joe Ghartey, became the 10th and the last person to file his nominations last Saturday while a former MP for Mampong in the Ashanti Region, Francis Addai-Nimoh, was the ninth person to submit forms last Friday.

Aspirants

Others who filed their papers to contest the flagbearership during the month-long exercise were Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; a former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen; a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Owusu Afriyie Akoto; the MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, and a former Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko.

The rest are a former General Secretary of the NPP and Presidential Spokesperson, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong; a former Minister of State and former MP for Offinso North, Dr Konadu Apraku, and an energy expert, Enerst Kwadwo Poku.

This brings to ten the number of presidential aspirants who picked and submitted their nomination forms out of the 11 at the close of the exercise.

A former director of transport and logistics at the Presidency, Odeneho Nana Oppong, who picked the nomination forms could not submit them. He is said to have withdrawn from the contest.

Boakye Agyarko, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto and Joe Ghartey

Filing

Mr Ghartey, who was accompanied by a large group of his supporters, arrived at the party's headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra last Saturday afternoon to submit his nomination forms for the primary.

The forms were received by the NPP's Director of Research and Elections, Evans Nimako, a member of the Presidential Elections Committee.

Kwabena Agyepong, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Francis Addai-Nimoh and Kwadwo Poku

Vision

Mr Ghartey, who addressed supporters after the submission of the forms, pledged to focus on fostering economic growth, eradicating corruption and improving the living standards of the citizenry.

The former Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Minister of Railways Development said he aimed to revitalise the NPP and provide the youth and party executives with opportunities to serve the country if he emerge victorious as the party's flag bearer and subsequently elected President in 2024.

Addai-Nimoh 

Mr Addai-Nimoh, for his part, expressed confidence in winning the race, saying he was not new in the contest as he placed third in the 2014 presidential primary.

He appealed for a centralised Special Electoral College Congress to short-list the five aspirants for the National Congress.

Vetting

Mr Nimako after the exercise said the next phase of the party's presidential primary would be the vetting of the 10 aspirants who submitted their nomination forms from July 3 to July 6, 2023.

He said the party would not extend the filing of nominations.

Amendment 

The number of aspirants who filed to contest the 2023 flagbearership is the highest number so far as compared to the 2007 presidential primary which 17 aspirants contested in that poll to elect a flag bearer for the 2008 general election.

The party has since amended its Constitution to accommodate not more than five persons for the flagbearership contest.

According to Article 13(9) of the NPP Constitution: "Where there are more than five contestants for nomination as the party's presidential candidate, a Special Electoral College shall cast their votes by secret ballot for the first five contestants to be short-listed".

Timelines 

Per the timelines of the party, vetting of the presidential aspirants would commence from Monday, July 3 to Thursday, July 6, 2023, with the submission of the vetting committee's report to national executives through the General Secretary, on Monday, July 10, 2023.

Those who qualified after vetting would go for the National Congress by Special Electoral College (if any) on August 26, 2023, to short-list the five presidential aspirants for the National Congress on Saturday, November 4, 2023, and a runoff (if any) on November 11, 2023.