Group for Spio-Garbrah questions date for NDC Presidential primary

A splinter group in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) aligned to the Minister for Trade and Industry, Ekow Spio-Garbrah, has questioned the date set for the party’s presidential primary.

The umbrella family on Thursday announced October 24, 2015, for its Presidential and Parliamentary polls with the opening of nominations set for August 27, 2015.

Vetting of parliamentary candidates, according to party officials, will be carried out on September 27, 2015 while that of the presidential will be done on October 10, 2015.

However the group with Friends of Dr. Spio-Garbrah said the concurrent event does not appear to favour any other candidate apart from persons interested in contesting for the position.

“Opening nominations on the same date and conducting of both parliamentary and presidential primaries on the same date is a clear conspiracy on the part of the party’s national executives to stop any interested member from contesting His Excellency John Dramani Mahama. We are totally against this wicked plan against Dr. Spio-Garbrah,” a statement released by the group in part read.

Friends of Dr. Spio-Garbrah is headed by Komla Ahedor, Prosper Nukpenu, Festus Yawson and Frimpong Debrah.

Worried about the concurrent event, the group has called on the national executives of the party to reconsider the dates by first opening nominations for presidential primaries and elections before the parliamentary primaries.

This, they believe, will make the contest wide open for all presidential hopefuls as well as avoid any division in the party.

“We believe our preferred candidate in the person for Dr. Spio-Garbrah to contest and take us to the promised land in 2016. Any attempt to stop others will only leave us with no option than to advise ourselves.”