Minority deserts Parliament to submit nomination forms

Minority in Parliament on Thursday was represented by about ten (10) members in the law-making chamber as dozens of legislators who have the intention to run for another term travelled to their respective constituencies to submit their nomination forms to the party.

These National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs) started leaving to their constituencies on Wednesday, reports Power 97.9 FM’s Princess Arita Anim.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader who also doubles as Tamale South MP, his deputy James Avedzi and Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim who is also seeking to be reelected at Banda were all not in the house. Mr. Eric Opoku, MP for Asunafo South and MP for Asutifi South, Alhaji Collins Dauda had all left to their constituencies at the time of filing the report.

“All the MPs seeking to be re-elected are not around except a few of those whose constituencies are in the Greater Accra Region that are taking turns in the house one after the other,” Princess Arita added.

At midday, Hohoe MP Bernice Heloo and Tamale Central MP, Inusah Fuseini who are all not contesting in the upcoming primaries were among a few MPs who were representing the Minority in the house.

Some four NDC MPs in the Volta Region including former Deputy Finance Minister and Ketu South MP, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey; Keta MP, Richard Quashigah and Clement Kofi Humado, MP for Anlo did not pick up nomination forms to contest in the party’s parliamentary primaries.

Nadowli kaleo MP and 2nd Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin did not also pick up nomination forms to join the race.

About The Primaries

The NDC opened nominations for interested persons seeking to be voted to Parliament to pick nomination forms on Wednesday, July 10– 12, 2019.

The submission of forms begin Thursday 18th and 19th July, 2019.

According to the NDC, a person wishing to contest to be a parliamentary candidate of the party must be a citizen of Ghana, who has attained the age of 21 years, be a card-bearing member of the party who has paid party membership dues in full and a known and active member of a branch of the party in a constituency, for at least four (4) years and not a member of any other political party.

Addressing a press conference to announce the guidelines for picking nomination forms, last week, General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah said party members who wish to contest in the primaries must be qualified in accordance with the 1992 National Constitution to be elected as Member of Parliament and Must not have contested as an independent candidate in the 2016 elections.

“Any person who contested as an Independent Candidate lost his membership of the Party by reason of that and is therefore not qualified to contest the election by virtue of Article 41.8(b) of the NDC constitution or contested as a candidate for any other political party apart from the NDC,” Mr Asiedu Nketiah added.

He also said “Any member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) or the Regional Executive Committee who decides to contest for any of the parliamentary seats shall resign his position on the submission of his nomination form to contest the election” just as any Member of the Constituency Executive Committee (either elected orAppointed) who also wishes to contest the parliamentary election.

At the end of the primaries on Saturday, 24th August, 2019, any candidate who wins the primaries by a simple majority of Votes cast is deemed duly elected as the party’s parliamentary candidate for that constituency, according to the NDC.

Also, if at the close of nominations only one person files his nomination as the Party’s Parliamentary candidate, such fellow shall be elected unopposed.