General Secretary of the opposition NPP, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) will today, October 4, open nominations for contest in the 45 newly created constituencies across the country.
The party has expressed optimism that it would win more than 50 percent of the seats.
Considering the limited time frame at its disposal and the late introduction of the Constitutional Instrument (CI 78) that led to the creation of the constituencies, nominations are expected to close by Saturday, October 6.
The party has thus scheduled October 9 for the vetting of potential parliamentary aspirants, to be followed by primaries slated for October 14 to elect substantive candidates for the December 2012 elections.
Party General Secretary Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, who made the announcement at the party?s Asylum Down headquarters yesterday, said, ?Our research has shown us that of the 45 newly created constituencies, we will win more seats than any other political party in this country.?
He denied claims that the party was opposed to the creation of the 45 constituencies, insisting that ?we have never and at no point in time have we as the New Patriotic Party opposed to the creation of the constituencies; we are always for the creation of the constituencies.?
The NPP chief scribe indicated that ?what we have opposed to, is the fact that in creating the constituencies no member of a voting age should be disenfranchised?, insisting, ?The creation of the CI 78 several electoral areas are going to be disenfranchised as we have made known.?
In spite of that, Sir John, as he is affectionately called, indicated that ?now that it?s become law, we are ready to contest and we shall do so?with all the force that is at our disposal and like I said we shall win more seats than other political party in this country; nobody should make whatsoever about that?.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
