Political Scientist at the University of Ghana, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante, has cautioned that the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer race is likely to see intensified campaigning and possible breaches of party rules after Friday’s balloting exercise.

Speaking on the AM Show on JoyNews ahead of the NPP’s balloting on Friday, October 10, at the party’s headquarters in Accra, Dr Asah-Asante said although the party leadership has directed aspirants to conduct clean campaigns, those instructions are unlikely to be followed.

“Obviously, you are going to see intense campaigning and people are going to announce to the delegates that this is the position of the candidate, so please don’t make a mistake when voting on that day,” he said.

He explained that while the NPP has urged aspirants to maintain decorum, experience suggests that “those calls will fall on deaf ears.”

“The campaign is going to be intensified, not only that, we are now going to see a lot of exposés. Even though the party has said that they have to approach it in a certain manner that will not incur the wrath of the party machinery, I can tell you without fear of contradiction that, look, that will fall on deaf ears. The way they have started, I do not doubt in my mind that it is going to be intensified.”

Dr Asah-Asante criticised the party’s Ad Hoc Committee for failing to clearly define what constitutes an offence and the corresponding sanctions during the campaign period. According to him, this gap has created an environment where “it is free for all.”

“And over the years, the party has not mustered the courage to deal with people who have flouted party rules and regulations,” he said.

“So people will see it as business as usual. For the cameras, they will pretend to be telling you that they will abide by the rules of the game, but they will go and hide behind social media and spill venom and throw spanners in the work of the committee.”

Dr Asah-Asante advised the Committee to prepare adequately for what he described as a challenging period ahead.

“The committee is in for a long haul of incidents and they should brace themselves for that,” he said.

“I don’t wish them badly, but as a scholar and a student of this area, this is what I need to bring to their attention.”