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The National Executives Committee of the opposition New Patriotic Party is set for a very important meeting today, the maiden meeting after new executives headed by Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, as National Chairman and General Secretary respectively, took over the administration of the party. Top on the agenda of today�s NEC meeting include the issue of electing the party�s presidential candidate for the 2016 general elections and the appointment of some officers of the party, including deputies for the positions of General Secretary, National Women�s Organizer and National Youth Organizer. The issue of reconstituting committees of the party, including the Organizing Committee, Disciplinary Committee and Legal and Constitutional Committee, is also expected to be the agenda for today�s meeting. Party insiders say in respect of the presidential nomination, what is critical in today�s meeting is the date for the exercise. The NEC is expected to propose a date for the contest, which will have to be approved by the party�s National Council, which is expected to meet a few days after today�s NEC meeting. Information available to the New Statesman indicates that majority of members of the party�s NEC, especially the regional Chairmen, are pushing for the presidential nomination to be conducted before the end of this year. One of the Regional Chairmen, who spoke to the paper yesterday, said: �Our estimation is that if we hold the flagbearership election this year, we can deal with all associated issues before we enter 2015, so that we can focus on the 2016 general elections�. In respect of the presidential candidate election, the party has to open nominations six months before the date for elections. This means the latest the party can hold the elections will be December, if the National Executive Committee proposes, and the National Council endorses, a plan to hold it before the end of the year. That would mean that somewhere in June 1, the party will have to open nominations for the exercise. For the appointment of deputies for some positions, the Steering Committee of the party, made up of the elected officers, who met yesterday ahead of today�s meeting, will submit a proposed list to the NEC for their input and subsequent approval. The New Statesman can report that barring any last minute hitch the immediate past Volta Regional Chairman of the party, Ken Wood Numorsu, and the former Municipal Chief Executive for Techiman and former Parliamentary candidate for Techiman South, Prince Donyina, will get the nod as the two deputy General Secretaries to work with Kwabena Agyapong. Mr. Ken Wood and Mr. Donyina represent the Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions respectively which could not get any person elected as a national executive at the party�s recent National Delegates� Conference held in Tamale. Even though the proposed names for the other positions are not available to the New Statesman, the paper cannot report that the NPP is looking at appointing the two deputies for Otiko Afisah-Djaba, from the Brong-Ahafo and the Upper West Regions. The two deputies for the National Youth Organizer, Sammi Awuku, are most likely to come from the Western and Northern Regions, while the two deputies for the National Organizer, John Boadu could come from Volta and Upper West Regions. The other notable appointments to be made will include a Communications Director and his three deputies. Two of the immediate past deputy communication directors, John Boadu and Sammi Awuku are now among the elected executive.