NPP Super Delegates Conference: Violence and Confusion in Bono East Region

 The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Super Delegates Conference, which was held on Saturday, August 26, 2023, to elect the top five candidates for the party's flagbearer race, was marred by violence and confusion in some regions.

In the Bono East Region, a scuffle broke out between the Regional Organizer, Sule Musah, and the Youth Organizer, who were both delegates in the process. The two were seen exchanging blows at the Kokroko Social Centre, where the voting was taking place.

According to reports, the cause of the fight was a disagreement over the presence of some agents of some candidates at the voting centre. The Regional Organizer accused the Youth Organizer of allowing some agents to influence the delegates and manipulate the process.

The situation escalated when the Youth Organizer retaliated and attacked the Regional Organizer, who also fought back. The two were separated by some security personnel and other party members who were at the scene.

The incident caused a delay in the voting process, as some delegates had not shown up at the centre as of 9:32 a.m., even though the voting was supposed to start at 7:00 a.m. Unconfirmed reports suggested that some delegates were being camped in unknown places by some candidates.

The Bono East Region was not the only place where chaos and confusion erupted during the Super Delegates Conference. In other regions, such as Central and Northern, there were also allegations of vote-buying and intimidation by some candidates and their supporters.

One of the candidates, Kennedy Agyapong, who is also the MP for Assin Central, was captured on video threatening to give President Nana Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia a "showdown" for allegedly chasing away his agent at the University of Cape Coast voting centre. He accused them of interfering in the party's internal elections and favouring Dr Bawumia, who emerged as the clear winner of the conference.

The Super Delegates Conference was a crucial step in determining who will be the party's flagbearer for the 2024 general elections. The top five candidates who qualified for the next round of voting were Dr Bawumia, Alan Kyerematen, Kennedy Agyapong, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and Francis Addai Nimoh. The two latter candidates will face a runoff to determine who will join the top four for the final contest.

The NPP is expected to hold its National Delegates Conference on November 4, 2023, where over 200,000 delegates will vote to elect the party's flagbearer for the 2024 general elections. The winner will face off with former President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who has already been confirmed as his party's candidate.