The Director-General of the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA), Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, has decided not to seek an extension of his tenure in office when it ends next month.
The decision is to allow him to contest the chairmanship of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Mr Asamoah-Boateng’s decision not to continue as the SIGA boss after December this year is based on the principle that he cannot be holding a sensitive public office while contesting an internal party position.
A former Minister of Information and Member of Parliament for Mfantsiman West in the Central Region, Mr Asamoah-Boateng, popularly known as Asabee, has his eyes firmly fixed on the NPP chairmanship, with hopes that he will lead the party to victory in the 2024 elections to break the eight-year cycle.
Mr Asamoah-Boateng also held two other ministerial positions — Local Government, Rural Development and Environment and Tourism and Diasporan Relations — in the Kufuor administration.
He was the President of the Madina Students Union and the Secretary of the Central Committee of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) from 1979 to 1982.
Contest
Nine names have so far come up as contenders in the NPP chairmanship race to replace the incumbent, Mr Freddie Blay, who has decided not to seek reelection.
Apart from Mr Asamoah-Boateng, the other frontrunners are five-time contestant, Mr Stephen Ntim; a former Minister of Education, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi; the incumbent Treasurer of the party, Mr Kwabena Abankwa, and a former Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Ishmael Ashitey.
The Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mr Lord Commey, who was said to have shown interest in the position, announced at the Greater Accra Regional delegates conference this year that he would not contest.
National conference
The NPP will hold its 2021 Annual Delegates Conference in Kumasi from December 18 to 20, 2021.
Per Article 10 (2) of the NPP Constitution, Sub-section 1, there shall be an annual national delegates conference to, among other things, deliberate and make appropriate resolutions on the National Chairperson’s statement, the General Secretary’s Report and the National Treasurer’s Statement of Accounts.
There will, therefore, be no election at the national delegates conference in Kumasi next month.
The Kumasi conference will also discuss issues on the welfare of members of the party and also consider recommendations from the constituency and regional delegates conferences to improve the fortunes of the party.
Background
Prior to the holding of the national delegates conference, the NPP had held delegates conferences in all the 275 constituencies.
There were also regional delegates conferences.
Action year
The NPP will, in 2022, begin with branch, electoral area, constituency and regional elections to elect officers to various positions.
These will be climaxed with the holding of elections for various national positions, ahead of the contest for the flag bearer position for the 2024 presidential election.
Source: graphic.com.gh
