The Electoral Commission has declared Nana Akufo Addo winner of the keenly contested ballot for the presidential aspirant slot, however he failed to obtain the required 50 percent plus one vote for an outright win and party is to take a decision.

That is what the NPP Constitution stipulates.

Congress has resumed with worship as the whole house sings To God be the Glory.

Prof. Mike Oquaye leads with a prayer and thanks God for his decision and asks for unity and victory in 2008.

Congress sings party anthem 'Onward Party People'; and Nkrabeah Effah Darteh has asked to be allowed to sing one song and the party Chairman Mac Manu would be addressing the Congress on what is next.

Mac Manu tells Congress the party has no Presidential candidate yet and all must hold their guns.

He tells them of the party's constitutional provision to elect a clear winner but says there are consultations.

He invites Alan Kyerematen to address the Congress.

He congratulates Akufo Addo for 'a hard won and well deserved victory' and says he concedes defeat.



The Director of Elections at the Electoral Commission, Mr. Albert Kofi Arhin, who is leading a team of EC officials to conduct the election of the New Patriotic Party presidential candidate, has announced procedures leading to announcing the winner.

At 5am on Sunday, voting came to an end after the last batch of voters, NPP Patrons, cast their ballots.

Mr. Arhin invited agents of the 17 aspirants up onto the podium and announced that the contents of the ballot boxes were to be poured out one after the other, sorted for their validity, followed by separating them into the individual aspirants.

When all the boxes have been dealt with, then actual counting will begin and results announced soon after.

Updates

	Alan mulling over the outcome of the keenly contested race.

*Police forms two cordons around ballot boxes. All the aspirants are awake and the ballot sorting being supervised by their agents.

*A few of the aspirants have abandoned their seats with those remaining engaging in friendly chats.

*Sorted ballots ready to be counted.

*Joy News' Evans Mensah says the EC officials are taking every caution to ensure nothing is left to chance.

*6:34am Last ballot box sorted and counting to get underway; and Nana Akufo Addo's ballots cluster (Yet to be counted) looks bulkier than the rest followed by Alan's and then Osafo Maafo and Dan Botwe's in that order.

6:43am Indications are that there could be a run-off, however the clusters have recieved wild cheers from delegates.

6:46am Pockets of cheer and discussion groups beginning to form all around the congress grounds.

6:53 EC officials announce eight ballots have been rejected for various reasons including unclear choices.

A clear winner should have fifty percent plus one vote.

6:55 counting starts finally.

7am Osafo Maafo garners 63 valid votes.

Kwabena Agyapong 9 votes.

Prof. Mike Oquaye gets 20 votes

Hackman Owusu Agyemang gets 28 and his facial expression is one of disbelief, says he cant believe it.

Barfuor Adjei Barwuah has 6 votes.

Jake Obetsebi Lamptey has 20 votes.

Dan Botwe is next and he has 52 votes.

Dan Botwe is engaged in consultations with a number of the aspirants. He has so far spoken to Papa Owusu Ankomah, Agyarko and Aliu Mahama.

7:26am Alan is next and he has garnered 300 and still counting.

7:37am Alan has 700 and still counting...

7:38am Alan Kyerematen has 738 votes.

Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku is next.

7:42am Apraku has 19 votes

Nana Akufo Addo is next ...

A clear winner must obtain at least 1154 votes. After Nana Addo there will be 7 more aspirants.

7:47am Nana Addo crosses the first 100 and counting some more...

7:55 Nana Addo has 300 and still got a heap of ballots to go...

8am Nana Addo has crossed the 400 votes.

8:03 Nana has 500 and still going...

8:05: Aspirants and their wives are being served breakfast in their seats...

Breakfast consists of fried eggs, toasted bread, pastories, salad...

All of them are eagerly being served as they stretch forth their saucers for food.

Akuffo Addo has 600 and yet counting with 'mounds' to go.

Nana Addo has just gone past the 800 ballot and still has a lot more to go...

8:18 Nana Addo shoots past the 900 mark and has some more to go.

He appears to be taking in the coming victory as he gestures all over with 'V' sign and responds to cheers.

Alan engages Akufo Addo in a friendly, 'laughful' brief chat. The tensions are easing off.

8:22am Nana Addo has crossed the 1000 marks...

825am Nana Addo has 1096 votes.

All the aspirants, led by Yaw Osafo Maafo, Hackman Owusu Agyeman, etc

Osafo Maafo tells Joy News that he was happy and that the party has won against the executive's wishes.

He expects no run off and expects Alan to accept defeat because the difference wasn't much.

8:30am Papa Owusu Ankomah has 34 votes.

Arthur Kennedy has 1 (one) vote

Frimpong Boateng 12 votes

Virtually all the other aspirants are promising to vote for Nana Addo should there be a run-off for being a true party man.

It is the turn of Aliu Mahama...

Aliu Mahama has 146 votes.

9:02 President Kuffuor arrives at Congress and shakes hands and hugs party executives and aspirants.

9:08 Kuuku Welsing Jones, a media coordinator of Alan Kyerematen's campaign believes Alan should go for a second round.

He says it should not have been so if there was no bad blood in the contest and accuses Nana Addo's team of painting Alan the bad one in the lot.

Boakye Agyarko has 10 votes; Addo Kufuor has 22 and Barfuor Adjei Barwuah 6.

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