Balloting for position on the ballot papers for the election of executive members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been held, with representatives of the contestants expressing confidence in the process leading to Saturday's national delegates conference in Kumasi. The party is heading for the conference at the VIP Wing of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Saturday in one of the most crucial events in the party's history, after which the elected officers will be faced with the serious challenge of bringing about internal unity. For the chairmanship slot, the balloting, which was supervised by the National Elections Committee of the party, produced Mr Jake O. Obetsebi-Lamptey at the top of the paper, followed by Mr Stephen Ayesu Ntim, Samuel K.A.B. Crabbe, Felix Owusu-Adjapong and Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby in that order. Apart from Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey, who interpreted the outcome of the ballot as a sign of what the results would be, all the other contestants played down their positions on the ballot and said their personal qualities would earn them victory on Saturday. With Mr Obeng G. Busia at the top of the ballot for the general secretary position, the others will be arranged in the order of Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, Nana Ohene Ntow, Yaw Buabeng Asamoa and Nkrabea Effah-Dartey. On the ballot for the national organiser slot, the names will appear in this order: Mr John Boadu, Alhaji Moctar Musa Bamba and Isaac Eduosar Edumadze, while that for the national youth organiser position begins with Pius Enam Hadzide, Stephen Amoah, Michael Kwabena Ampong and Anthony Abayifaa Karbo. Otiko Afisah Djaba will be the first on the ballot for the women organiser's position, followed by Christine Churcher, Commenting on the process, the National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Peter Mac Manu, gave the assurance that all was set for a successful national delegates conference in Kumasi. He said under the chairmanship of Mr C. K. Tadem, the NPP Elections Committee was working closely with officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) for the smooth organisation of the elections in Kumasi. He said the two bodies were in constant touch with the aspirants on the printing of the ballot, the voting procedure, counting and the collation and declaration of results. He said it was incumbent on any aspirant with any concern to channel it to the committee and commended those who had used the right procedure to seek redress. Mr Mac Manu, who is not seeking re-election, said the uniqueness of this year's conference lay in the fact that 4,383 members of the party would elect national officers and that all of them had been described by the party’s amended constitution. He said unlike in the previous selection process where a constituency chairman was given a blank cheque to select three other people, those who would vote in this election were known beforehand. Article 9 (A) 2 (ii) of the NPP constitution says the national delegates conference shall be attended by the following: Members of the National Council, members of the National Executive Committee, all members of regional executive committees, all members of constituency executive committees, 15 members of the National Council of Elders and 12 delegates from every external branch as defined under Section 8(2) of the constitution. The rest are one TESCON representative, 15 patrons elected from among themselves, founding members across the country who are signatories to the registration document of the party at the EC, all Members of Parliament and all party members who are ministers, deputy ministers; metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives when the party is in government. According to Mr Mac Manu, the conference is divided into two parts - the first one will be purely party matters, with the second aspect being the election of national officers, to be the preserve of EC officials. He quoted Article 9 (4) (a), which states that the national annual delegates conference shall deliberate and make appropriate resolutions on the following: National chairperson's report, national treasurer's statement of account, any other matters. The (b) states that the national annual delegates conference shall also: Instruct the general secretary and the national treasurer to file the appropriate annual returns to the EC and also elect national officers when required. Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana