A group, calling itself ‘The Concerned Members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the La Dadekotopon Constituency’ has blamed their executives for the party’s defeat in the 2020 parliamentary elections.
The group believes the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Rev Solomon Kotey Nikoi and acting constituency chairman, Kingsley Addison, were behind the party’s defeat.
According to them, the two and other executives connived to sabotage the party’s efforts to retain the La Dadekotopon seat.
Although President Akufo-Addo successfully secured a second term, the NPP lost a lot of parliamentary seats, one of which was the La Dadekotopon seat.
Incumbent MP ahead of the polls, Vincent Sowah Odotei was defeated in the NPP primaries by a lecturer from the University of Professional Studies, Accra, (UPSA), Gerald Joseph Nii Tetteh Nyanyofio.
Mr. Tetteh Nyanyofio, however, failed to retain the seat as he lost to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate, Rita Odoley Sowah, in the December elections.
There has been a lot of internal wrangling since the NPP lost the La Dadekotopon seat, with some party members and executives blaming each other.
In a statement copied to the media, the Concerned Members of the New Patriotic Party said the MCE and acting constituency chairman worked against the interest of the NPP by denying the party its best candidate for the 2020 polls.
“We wish to bring to the attention of the general public and the NPP fraternity in particular how a combination of ineptitude and thirst for “Naked” and “Repulsive” control and power on the part of the MCE – Rev Solomon Kotey Nikoi, Mr. Kingsley Addison – acting constituency chairman and some of the constituency executives resulted in the undeserved loss of the La seat and the humiliating defeat to the NPP in the December 2020 elections,” a statement from the group said.
“The conduct and behaviour of the above-named officials were so shocking to the extent that it did not only defy “political logic” but common sense. For the officials to prosecute the sort of Agenda they did in a constituency the NPP had struggled to wrestle from our opponents could only lead to one conclusion that they did not only deliberately sabotage the party but “worked against the interest of the party.”
The group said their executives were poor an inept and failed to campaign on the constituency’s own excellent and unprecedented achievements.
They also accused the executives of deliberate acts of exclusion of a section of NPP members in the 2020 campaign.
“Somewhere in 2018, the current MCE, Hon. Rev. Solomon Kotey Nikoi then constituency chairman, in collaboration with the current acting constituency chairman – Mr. Kingsley Addison, arising out of egos and unnecessary turf struggle, hatched a diabolical, destructive and divisive plan to make sure Hon Vincent Sowah Odotei (then seating MP) was humiliated and did not have the chance to contest the 2020 elections thereby depriving the party of its “best candidate” for the election,” the statement added.
According to the group, though the former Member of Parliament, Vincent Sowah Odotei’s unprecedented achievements in the constituency, the new parliamentary candidate failed to campaign on any of his successes.
“Driven and blinded by their hatred of the then seating MP and their bid to achieve “exclusive personal – glorification”, the MCE, acting Chairman and some of the executives took a deliberate decision NOT to include, USE nor EVER mention in the 2020 campaign the much-acclaimed four (4) main social interventions the party had embarked on since 2017 and championed by the seating MP”, they said.
They further alleged that the MCE and the acting chairman hijacked the party from the Council of Elders, and other relevant elders of the party including the 3 living past Parliamentary Candidates as well as the official constituency campaign team.
Based on these, they have called for the sacking of the Rev. Solomon Kotey Nikoi as MCE for La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly (LADMA) and suspension of Kinglsey Addison as constituency chairman and all the executives whose actions led to the loss of the seat.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh