NPP National Delegates Conference: Motions for Constitutional Reforms
Source : Enoch Saah
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Prior to the conference, the General Secretary, by a formal communication, dated April 25, 2025 , requested Party Members and Identifiable Groups who wish to propose amendments to the Party’s constitution to submit their written proposals to the Office of the General Secretary or forward same directly to the committee via e-mail address for that purpose.
As a result, the Committee received over three hundred ( 300)
Amendments proposals, both in hardcopy and via the official e-mail address of the committee.
As part of the its duties, the committee carefully scrutinized the amendment proposals, considered the Afenyo-Markin Markin- led Constitution Review Committee and the recommendations of Professor Oquaye-led Election Review committee for the party’s ( NPP) constitutional reform.
As the committee was streamlining and categorizing the proposed amendments under the various articles and clauses, the committee made recommendations for their consent or otherwise.
Consequently, the committee formulated fifty six (56) motions out of amendments proposals that were sent to both the General Secretary and Committee by Party Members and Identifiable Groups, for consideration and approval by the National Delegates Conference., with each motion assigned to a proposal with articles for reference to be amended.
The first motion formulated prompted the committee to amend article 1 of the Constitution to include the Party’s Motto, Symbol and Colours.
The second motion challenged the committee to amend article 3(7) of the Constitution to give the power to recommend suspension of a member or an office holder pending disciplinary action against him to the appropriate Disciplinary Committee rather than the Executive Committee.
“This amendment is needed to ensure justified suspension of party executive ( elected and appointed ) by Executive Committees, only upon recommendation by the Disciplinary Committee, pending disciplinary proceedings against such officers. It is the Disciplinary Committee that shall recommend suspension having regard to its preliminary findings”, said the committee
The third motion state that the amendment of article 4(3)(7) of the constitution is necessary to allow for a complaint against any Constituency or Regional Officer , whether elected or appointed. “This amendment is to seek to achieve fair and equal treatment or handling of disciplinary matters involving ‘elected officers’ and ‘appointed officers” said the Delegates.
The fourth motion accentuated on the amendment of article 5(6) of the constitution to adopt the Electoral Commission of Ghana’s boundary line of the Electoral Areas.
In the course of the conference, the delegates also stressed on the need to amend article 6 of the Constitution to provide for an Electoral Area Executive Committee structure made up of five (5) members who shall be elected consisting the Electoral Areas Chairperson,Secretary, Organizer, Communications Officer and Electoral Affairs Officer. This is a new provision according to the National Delegates of the New Patriotic Party ( NPP).
The Delegates, during the conference also placed an emphasis on the need to amend article 6(1) of the Party’s constitution to increase the Polling Station Executives from (5) to seven (7) who are all to be elected compromising the Chairperson,Secretary, Organizer, Women’s Organizer, Youth Organizer. In motion seven (6) of the constitutional amendments, the Committee recommends one man one vote ( OMOV) system as a long term electoral framework for the party.
The seventh Motion also highlighted the necessity to amend article 6(1), 7(2), 9(1), and 10(7)(3) of the Constitution. This is to split the position of Research and Electoral Affairs Officer at the Constituency,Regional and Nationals levels of the Party.
The Committee recommends an amendment of articles 7(5), 9(2), and 10(7)(3) of the constitution to make Communication Officers at all levels of the party elected from the Polling Station, Electoral Area, Constituency, Regional and at the National level, and make Communication Officer the director of communications at the National level.
This is in the sense that, “the appointment of Communication Officers has been difficult with a lot of challenges which gave the rise to the perceptions of favoritism and lack of openness. Making the positions elective will afford the delegates to carefully consider the person they think can best communicate for the party” this elucidation was given by the delegates.
The committee again, suggested a motion forward to the delegates to amend articles 9, 10(2) and 13 of the constitution to grant voting rights to the Regional and National TESCON Coordinators and the TESCON President from each recognized tertiary institution in the country at the Regional and National Delegates Conference respectively.
Articles 10(2) and 13(11) was proposed to be amended in order to grant voting rights to the TESCON President ( and not a representative from TESCON ) from each recognized tertiary institution in the country at the Regional and National Delegates Conference. “The specificity on the TESCON President and not just any representative of TESCON avoids the usual challenge with validation of the representative from TESCON”said the committee.
The committee also urged the delegates to amend article 10(3)(A) of the constitution to expand the composition of the Finance Committee from Six(6) to ten(10) Members in addition to the National Treasurer. “This will enhance the effectiveness of the committee”, said the delegates.
The delegates was also advised by the committee to revise article 13(1)(6) of the Constitution to provide that National Officers, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, CEOs and other government appointees who file to become the Presidential Candidate of the Party, shall resign their positions at least twenty-four(24) months to the National General Election. “This is to ensure fair competition and level playing field to all prospective aspirants for the flagbearership”explained by the committee.
Also the committee presented that the constitution should be ratified by inserting a new provision to provide that National Officers, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, CEOs and other government appointees who file to contest to become a Parliamentary Candidate of the Party in a Constituency with a sitting Member of Parliament, shall resign their positions at least twelve (12) months to the National General Election.
The committee added, saying, “this inclusion is to ensure fair competition and level playing field to all prospective aspirants for the position of Parliamentary Candidate”.
Amend articles 7(27), 9(25), 10(2) of the constitution to provide that the (NPP) party shall hold constituency/Regional/National Delegates Conference every two years ( I.e biennially) instead of annually: the committee proposed.
The committee also submitted that articles 8 and 10(2)(f) of the Constitution should be amended to specifically provide that all current executives of the External Branches shall have voting rights at the National Delegates Conference.
Additionally, submission was made by the committee to amend article 3(4) of the Constitution to provide for the election of a Presidential Candidate when the Party is in government to a date not less than eighteen (18) months instead of eleven (11) months before the National General Elections.
This reform of the Constitution is necessary in the right sense that “ it will give the Party’s presidential candidate an extra seven (7) months to campaign before the general election. Said by the Committee.
Most importantly, the Committee suggested that the articles (15)(3) and 15(4) of the Constitution should be modified to make all female delegates at the National Delegates Conference eligible to vote for the position of National Women Organizer, and to define Youths in the Constitution to refer to a Member of the Party who is not above the age of 35 years, respectively.
“The age limit for Youth per all the International Conventions and National Laws shows that the highest age limit is 35 years . The UN puts age bracket between 15-24 years ; WHO puts 15-29; UNICEF puts the age limit from 15-24; ILO: 15-24; African Youth Charter (AYC) puts 15-35. In Ghana, the National Youth Authority Act,2016 (Act 939) defines a Youth as a person between 15-35 years)”. This was pointed out by the committee.
Finally, the last which is the fifty-sixth motion propounded by the committee depicts the essentiality of article 15(5)(e) and related provisions of the Constitution to refer to Nasara Coordinators as Nasara Organizers.
The committee is buttressed this submission with a statement, saying “Nasara Coordinators should be referred to as Nasara Organizers, just as is done with Women and Youth Organizers, due to the nature of their functions.
Well-known Media houses such as Channel 1 Tv, Citi FM,
GhOne Tv, 3news, Adwenpa FM among other media houses were all present to stream the National Delegates Conference of NPP 2025. The Conference provided an avenue for Channel One (1) Tv interview with the formal Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.
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