Former Speaker of Parliament and founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Prof. Mike Oquaye, has assured Ghanaians that preparations for the party’s upcoming presidential primary fully comply with the 1992 Constitution and democratic principles.
In a recent interview, Prof. Oquaye described the preparations as “very, very good,” noting that the constitution requires all political parties to conduct internal practices in a lawful and transparent manner. “We must do things right and properly, otherwise very soon you will find some people taking the political parties to court because they are not adhering to the basic principles of democracy,” he said.
The former Speaker explained that Thursday’s events addressed concerns regarding fairness, transparency, and trust in the electoral process. “What you saw on Thursday was an answer to certain concerns. To ensure that the system does not favour anyone against the others, a level playing field, and also that there will be trust and convenience in the process,” Prof. Oquaye said.
He emphasised that no individual party member, including ministers or regional executives, would control or influence the voting process. Instead, the responsibility for conducting the primary rests with the national institution mandated to oversee political party elections. “All matters regarding the actual conduct of the elections should not be a party affair. It should be the preserve of the national institution responsible for political parties,” he said.
Prof. Oquaye also highlighted the need to continually assess and improve party systems to prevent disputes. Reflecting on past challenges in both NPP and opposition NDC internal elections, he stressed that careful planning and adherence to democratic norms would reduce potential conflicts and ensure smooth operations.
“Our constitution itself enjoins political parties to abide by democratic principles. Being mindful of this, we examined ourselves before previous elections and identified areas that might cause disputes,” he added.
With preparations now underway, Prof. Oquaye insisted that the NPP’s approach demonstrates a commitment to legality, fairness, and national confidence in the party’s primary process, setting the stage for a credible selection of its presidential candidate.