Member of the National Elections Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Anthony Abayifaa Karbo, has dismissed claims that some aspirants in the party’s national elections are candidates backed by the party’s flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.Speaking to JoyNews ahead of the NPP’s national executive elections scheduled for Saturday, October 3, Mr. Karbo said there are no candidates contesting the elections on behalf of Dr. Bawumia.According to Abayifa Karbo, the election is about choosing competent national officers to manage the affairs of the party and not about identifying individuals based on their perceived relationship with the flagbearer.He said the elections were primarily about selecting competent individuals to occupy key national positions and manage the affairs of the party, rather than determining candidates based on their perceived relationship with the flagbearer.Mr Karbo said being close to Dr Bawumia should not be a consideration for delegates when choosing national executives.“Whether you are close to the flagbearer or not is not a criterion for these elections,” he said.He explained that the contest to determine the party’s flagbearer was separate from the national executive elections, which are focused on selecting officers to oversee various aspects of the NPP’s operations.According to Mr Karbo, the key consideration should be the ability of aspirants to perform the responsibilities associated with the positions they are seeking.“The criteria to get elected has nothing to do with how close or whether the flagbearer likes you or not. That’s not the issue,” he said.He said delegates would instead have to assess the individual capabilities, grassroots connections, and commitment of the various aspirants before casting their votes.“It is your capacity. Do you have the capacity to mobilise for the party? Are you connected to the grassroots? Do you have a compelling message? Are you hardworking? Are you down to earth? Are you connected with the pulse of the party? Those are the issues that party people are going to have to decide on,” he said.Mr Karbo further argued that the process through which constituency-level executives were elected demonstrated that proximity to the party’s flagbearer was not a prerequisite for securing the support of delegates.His comments come ahead of the NPP’s national executive elections in Kumasi, where delegates are expected to elect individuals to key leadership positions within the party.The elections will determine the national officers responsible for various areas of the party’s administration and organisation, including the chairmanship, general secretaryship, organising, youth, women’s and other portfolios.