A group of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Constituency Executives who are currently studying or temporarily domiciled outside Ghana have formally petitioned the Party’s national leadership, requesting approval to exercise their voting rights in the upcoming presidential primaries through the constitutionally sanctioned proxy voting system.
The petition, addressed to the General Secretary and copied to former Presidents Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and John Agyekum Kufuor, as well as the Party’s Council of Elders, the National Executive Committee (NEC), the National Council, and all presidential aspirants, argues that denying proxy voting to executives abroad would contradict explicit provisions in the NPP Constitution and unjustly disenfranchise duly elected officers.
In their submission, the executives emphasised that Article 25 of the NPP Constitution provides clear and comprehensive guidelines for proxy voting, positioning it not as a privilege, but an established electoral right available to any registered voter including Party delegates who cannot be physically present in their constituency on polling day.
Quoting directly from Article 25(1), the group highlighted the Constitution’s unequivocal stance on absentee voting: a registered voter who “due to ill-health” or who “is absent from the constituency and will be unable to vote on polling day” may apply for proxy status.
According to them, this clause is neither ambiguous nor discretionary, as it specifically recognises absence from one’s constituency as a legitimate justification for proxy voting.
They further detailed the structured procedures laid out in the Constitution, including completion of proxy forms, endorsement protocols, verification steps, limitations on how many proxies one person may hold, and rules governing cancellations.
These procedural safeguards, they argued, demonstrate that proxy voting is a fully codified mechanism intended to ensure inclusivity and electoral fairness within the Party.
The executives maintained that their temporary residence abroad whether for academic programmes, work, or family obligations fits neatly within Article 25(1)(b), which acknowledges absence from the constituency as sufficient grounds to activate proxy voting rights.
They noted that their mandates as constituency executives remain valid and active, and physical absence from Ghana does not invalidate their positions or responsibilities within the Party.
The petitioners warned that refusing them the option of proxy voting would amount to unconstitutional disenfranchisement.
They argued that such a move would violate the spirit and letter of the Party’s own Constitution, deny equal voting rights to elected executives, and create an unfair distinction among officers purely on the basis of geographic location.
This, they noted, would undermine inclusiveness and marginalise committed Party members many of whom contribute significantly to promoting the NPP’s vision and interests abroad.
Beyond constitutional concerns, the executives presented a strong financial and strategic case to support their request. They stressed that with the NPP in opposition, fiscal prudence should guide every major decision.
Compelling executives overseas to return home solely to cast one vote, they said, would impose substantial financial burdens, often involving airfare costs running into hundreds or thousands of dollars per individual.
Such expenditures, the petition noted, would drain resources that could instead be channelled into critical activities needed to strengthen the Party’s readiness for the next general elections.
They listed polling station mobilisation, grassroots operations, media outreach, youth engagement, and regional campaign support as areas in need of sustained investment—priorities they believe should not be undermined by avoidable travel costs.
The group therefore framed proxy voting not only as a constitutional entitlement, but also as a cost-effective and strategically sound approach that allows the Party to preserve scarce resources for the broader objective of returning to power.
In their appeal, the executives requested three specific actions from the national leadership: first that all constituency executives currently abroad be allowed to vote through the established proxy voting framework; second that the Party issue clear and timely procedural guidelines to facilitate seamless implementation and third that constituency and regional secretariats receive formal direction to assist affected executives in completing and submitting their proxy documentation.
The petition concluded with a call for unity, fairness, and a reaffirmation of the Party’s democratic values. The executives stated that permitting proxy voting would demonstrate respect for every mandate, uphold internal democracy, and ensure that no executive is “silenced by circumstance or distance.”
They urged the NEC and the National Council to grant their request “in the supreme interest of the New Patriotic Party” as it works toward reclaiming governance.
The petition was signed by the NPP Constituency Executives studying or temporarily domiciled abroad and formally submitted to the Party’s national headquarters in Accra.
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