As the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) readies itself to join various pressure groups including the ‘Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA)’ to picket at the headquarters of the Electoral Commission (EC) this morning as part of their campaign for a new voters register for the 2016 general elections, its General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong is preparing to launch a new membership card for the party later in the day. In an invitation sent to some key members of the party including Members of Parliament (MP) titled ‘invitation to launching of NPP membership card’, Mr Agyepong noted “this is to formally invite you to the media launch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) membership card.”
The event was scheduled for today, September 16, 2015 at the African Regent Hotel, Accra at 3pm.
Moments after the invitation was dispatched, details of the scheduled media launch which according to Mr Agyepong “promises to be a groundbreaking programme in the party’s quest to win the 2016 elections” went viral on social media, provoking another debate in the party as to what could have made the General Secretary of the NPP to send out such a statement if not a deliberate attempt to divert attention from the picketing.
Issue
That was in view of the fact that most of the national executives of the NPP were not aware of any such programmme let alone invited to attend.
When DAILY GUIDE contacted most of them, they expressed surprise at the move since according to them they were not aware of any such event scheduled for today aside the fact that there is a raging controversy over the strange circumstance under which an initial contract for printing of the membership cards was awarded to Omanye, a company owned by NPP second Vice Chairman, Sammy Crabbe; an issue yet to be resolved.
Though some ardent supporters of the General Secretary took to social media to rubbish the letter, creating the impression it was a ploy to give Mr Agyepong a bad name, his aide, Davis Opoku Ansah indeed confirmed to DAILY GUIDE that there was indeed an event like that scheduled for next week Wednesday and not today, Wednesday, September 16, 2015.
What he could however not tell was why the date on the invitation to the media launch was set for today and who could have made such a terrible mistake with the General Secretary’s name underneath.
LMVCA unperturbed
But organizers of the much publicized picketing have assured the public that they would stop at nothing in their quest to converge on the premises of the EC which is located at Ridge in Accra to advance their call for an entirely new voters register since the current (existing) one which was used for the 2012 elections was over-bloated with ghost names.
In a statement issued by organizers of the event, the Let my Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA), Movement for Change, Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), CHAMPS, and other associations, they noted “we will like to assure all Ghanaians, especially those who want to join this peaceful and important picket that the programme is coming on as planned.”
“We have met with the Police and they are ready to provide us with adequate security. And we have agreed on a route”, Convener of the LMVCA, David Asante noted.
In view of that, he said “we will converge from 6am to 8am at Obra Spot on Wednesday, September 16 to begin our march to meet the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Charlotte Osei, to picket the Commission and present our petition. Accompanied by drumming and dancing, our all white protest is to drum home the case for a new voters register for 2016.”
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