NDC was first in Ghana to adopt universal member suffrage for primaries in 2014: Chairman

Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, chairman of Ghana's National Democratic Congress (NDC), asserted that his party pioneered universal member suffrage for presidential primaries in 2014. He distinguished these internal leadership elections from those for presidential and parliamentary candidates, which were the subject of a recent Supreme Court ruling.

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The ones we are engaged in now are not affected by the Supreme Court ruling because that is the party as a group deciding how they will select their leadership.

Speaking on JoyNews, Asiedu Nketiah explained that the Supreme Court's decision specifically addressed primaries for presidential and parliamentary hopefuls, arguing for democratic selection processes for those who might hold national office. He emphasized that the NDC's ongoing elections, focused on party leadership, are unaffected by this ruling.

The NDC chairman acknowledged that the party's 2014 adoption of universal suffrage faced challenges and led to internal division over whether to refine or suspend the system. Asiedu Nketiah, who initiated the proposal, personally supported its continuation and improvement, believing the difficulties were manageable and could have been resolved over time.

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The Supreme Court case focused on presidential and parliamentary primaries because candidates elected through those processes could eventually become President or Members of Parliament representing the entire country.

Despite past complexities, Asiedu Nketiah affirmed the NDC's obligation to adhere to the Supreme Court's directive. He recalled the party's successful presidential primary under the universal suffrage system in 2014, highlighting its democratic intent.

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It was my initiative to democratise as much as possible the presidential primaries.