Former Managing Director of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport(BOST), and Opanyin Abraham, the leader of the Saviour Church of Ghana, are being accused by concerned members of the NDC in the Afram Plains South Constituency of interfering in the upcoming parliamentary primary in that constituency.
The concerned branch members have issued a warning to Awuah Darko and Opanyin Abraham, instructing them to stay away from the upcoming constituency primary.
This warning stems from their sponsorship of Paul Yaw Asirifi, a member of the Saviour Church, to participate in the upcoming parliamentary primaries. The concerned members argue that Asirifi does not meet the requirements outlined in Article 41, Clause 8(b) of the party’s constitution.
According to the branch executives, Paul Yaw Asirifi’s party membership in the constituency falls short of the required four-year duration specified in Article 41, Clause 8(b) of the party’s constitution.
They mentioned that Asirifi registered his name in the constituency at LA Primary School, Odumasua during the 2022 branch limited registration exercise adding that since his membership does not span four years, he is considered ineligible to participate in the upcoming primaries.
In a press statement signed by; Lakoni John Kpaidon branch chairman, St. James Academy they stated that “Awuah Darko and Opanyin Abraham of the Saviour Church are the driving forces behind Paul Yaw Asirifi’s bid to contest in the Afram Plains South Constituency, despite his lack of qualifications. They are leveraging their influence to impose Asirifi on the constituency.’’
As Concerned Branch Members, they do not want a repeat of the incident in 2016 when the party almost suffered due to the imposition of an unqualified candidate during the general elections.
They are urging Awuah Darko and Opanyin Abraham to refrain from involving themselves in the parliamentary affairs of Afram Plains South because Asirifi is a newly registered member of the constituency.
They claim they are aware of meetings conducted by Awuah Darko in the constituency, where he introduced Paul Yaw Asirifi to branch executives, urging them to vote for him in the upcoming parliamentary primary.
Additionally, they have noticed Asirifi spreading the name of Awuah Darko as his main sponsor in the upcoming primary while Opanyin Abraham, using the Saviour Church, as a tool to support their preferred candidate made threats to the party if Asirifi’s demands are not met.
The concerned members perceive these actions as not only a potential repetition of the unfortunate incident during the 2016 Parliamentary Primaries and general elections but also an attempt to manipulate the rules to favor an unqualified candidate in the upcoming parliamentary primaries. Particularly concerning is the fact that Paul Asirifi is a newly registered member.
In light of this, they are issuing a warning to Awuah Darko and Opanyin Abraham, urging them to withdraw from any involvement in the Afram Plains South Constituency.
As a party, they do not tolerate unlawful acts and question why their constituency parliamentary primaries were not held. They are aware that as of April 25, 2023, when the filing of nominations for the remaining constituencies in the Eastern Region closed, Paul Yaw Asirifi had not submitted his nomination forms. Thus, it is peculiar to witness Asirifi campaigning in the constituency.
Furthermore, they highlight that Awuah Darko and Opanyin Abraham are neither registered members nor voters in the constituency.
They do not contribute to the financial aspects of their political activities. They implore them to cease promoting illegality by supporting an unqualified candidate in the primaries and to stay away from the Afram Plains South Constituency Parliamentary Primaries, allowing the party’s constitution to function impartially.
Efforts to reach Mr Awuah Darko and Opanyin Abraham for their response have proved futile.
