Ten suspended electoral area coordinators of the ruling NPP, in the Akyem Oda Constituency of the Eastern Region are demanding a reverse of their suspension, describing it as arbitrary attempt to disqualify them from partaking in the upcoming Parliamentary election.
The aggrieved coordinators are – Frank Nkansah (Nsenaa Electoral Area), Roland Bruce Appiah(Community 2 electoral area) George Appiah Sakyi (Community 1 electoral area), Michael Morka (Nkwantanum electoral area) and Emmanuel (Asenee electoral area).
The rest are Isaac Obeng Ayim (Srodae electoral area), Appiah Kwabena Asare-(Nyankomasu electoral area), Obed Asamoah (Oda Nkwanta electoral area)
Michael Asamoah(Morning Star electoral area) and Thompson Acquah (Essam electoral area)
These area coordinators were suspended upon a directive by the Eastern Regional Executives of the party on March 22,2020, a month after they petitioned the regional executives over misconduct of the Constituency Chairman Alhaji Awudu Issaka .
“…a petition was written by 10 Electoral Area Coordinators on 23rd February, 2020 to the Regional Secretariat for redress. The petition sought to address the conduct of the constituency Chairman Alhaji Awudu Issaka who is a member of the Constituency Parliamentary Elections Committee and as such supposed to remain neutral but was openly seen campaigning in favor of the incumbent Member of Parliament. We have an audio evidence of the Constituency Chairman openly addressing a section of party delegates where he sought to imply that the President His Excellency Nana Addo-Danquah Akkufo has ordered constituency Chairmen in Eastern Region to make sure all incumbent Members of Parliament are retained”
According to the aggrieved Electoral Area Coordinators ,”surprisingly, our petition was not addressed but rather on the 22nd March, 2020, we received a letter from the Regional Secretariat, directing the Constituency Chairman to suspend us from all Party related activities in the constituency until further notice”.
They added that noticing the conduct of the Regional Secretariate is in strict breach of article 4 clause 3 subsections (6&7a) of the party’s Constitution, filed an appeal at the National Secretariat on 24th March, 2020 for redress but executives of the party have failed to give them fair hearing
They explained that their petition was to seek redress in relation to misconduct of the Constituency Chairman and not to the National Parliamentary Vetting Committee (NPVC) as claimed in the suspension letter hence the basis of the suspension is flawed therefore null and void and has no legal effect.
They further alleged that their suspension “is a plan which was orchestrated by the Constituency Chairman Alhaji Awudu Issaka and the Member of Parliament Hon. William Agyapong Quaitoo just to disenfranchise we the 10 electoral Area coordinators ahead of the Constituency Parliamentary primaries”.
They warn that this could lead to voter apathy because there is raging anger among polling station executives in the constituency who have threatened on several occasions to demonstrate against the party but they (10 coordinators ) restrained them.
The aggrived Electoral Area coordinators are therefore appealing to the National and Regional Executives of the Party to intervene by reversing their abitarary suspension to restore calm in the party.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Kojo Ansah