Naagyei 90.3 Fm Agyapa
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has served notice it will not take part in any presidential debate ahead of the 2020 general elections.
The parliamentary and presidential elections are slated for December 7. The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has announced a series of presidential debates ahead of the polls.
However, the NPP said it is unaware of the debates and will not participate in any of them.
“The party, having taken notice of this publication, wishes to respond by, first of all, stating emphatically and for the records that the NPP is completely unaware of the claims by the NCCE, and therefore cannot be said to be a party to any such arrangements,” the party’s general secretary John Boadu said in a statement.
The NPP has also dissociated itself from all activities of the NCCE, claiming the outfit’s calendar is not in sync with its planned activities for the year.
“In the light of the foregoing, the NPP categorically dissociates itself from the purported ‘presidential debates schedules’ unilaterally announced by the NCCE, and appeals to the Commission not to include the NPP in these arrangements unless and until the party so permits,” the statement added.
The NCCE is reported to have scheduled at least three Presidential debates to be conducted in September, October, and December ahead of the 2020 polls.
It disclosed in January that it will organise presidential and parliamentary debates nationwide in the buildup to the general elections.
Whereas the parliamentary debates will be held in all the 275 constituencies, the presidential debate according to the NCCE will be held in three zones, namely: Northern, Middle, and Southern in September, October, and November respectively.
