Some polling station executives and electoral area coordinators of the NPP in Abirim have sent caution to their party leadership to rescind their decision to impose a parliamentary candidate on the constituency or risk greater apathy in the upcoming elections.
According to the group, some constituency and regional executive members deliberately disqualified two other parliamentary candidate aspirants who showed up to contest the sitting MP John Osei Frimpong.
Addressing the media at a press conference in Abirim, spokesperson of the concerned polling station executives and electoral area coordinator who doubles as polling station secretary for the Hwaekwae electoral area Patrick Annin hinted the party risks disaffection if leadership does not listen to the ‘grass-root’ people and allow for contest in the Abirim constituency.
‘There is a seeming karbal determined to unjustly eliminate two main parliamentary candidate aspirants from the Abirim parliamentary primaries namely Mr. Frank Ahemah Mireku and Ing. Daniel Kwadwo Afrifa. What we the concerned polling station executives are seeking for is a fair playing ground and we insist the party allow contest in the constituency”, he stressed
He posited that, the NPP is a democratic party that believes in the principle of rule of law hence the national executives must grant the Abirem Constituency a contest in order to foster unity at the grass roots.
The group added that, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo faced key contest from 2007 till 2015 in the party’s presidential primaries before he was made the party’s presidential candidate and won the 2016 general elections.
‘For the records, Mr. Osei Frimpong contested Esther Obeng Dapaah who was a sitting MP and Minister of Mines and Forestry. At the time, no constituency, regional or national officer disqualified Mr. Osei Frimpong from contesting a minister of state and a cabinet member,’ Patrick noted
He was baffled why Mr. Osei Frimpong was given a level playing field to contest Esther Obeng Dapaah three consecutive times but does not want anyone to contest him. .
Patrick Annin called on the NPP leadership to take lessons from the 2008 elections where many parliamentary aspirants were roughly disqualified, fueling aparthy and lost of some parliamentary seats noted to be the party’s seat and subsequent defeat in the general election.
‘We pray that we manage this primaries well in order to forestall disaffection in the general elections, because we believe that when we have contest and whoever wins, will bring all of us together to increase the margin of votes between the NDC,” Annin cautioned.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM