NDC primaries: Former MP fails to file nomination forms over locked office

Former Member of Parliament for Upper Manya Krobo in Eastern Region, Jeff Tetteh Kavianu, failed to file his nomination forms at constituency and regional offices after several efforts since Monday proved unsuccessful.

The former MP accused the party executives of deliberately going into hiding as part of a grand orchestration not to accept his nomination form as he stages a comeback to contest the incumbent MP, Bismark Tetteh Nyarko, who defeated him four years ago at the primaries.

The visibly worried former lawmaker was seen stranded at the Eastern Regional Secretariat of the NDC on Wednesday, having rushed there in an attempt to file alleging the Upper Manya Krobo constituency office has been locked since Sunday, March 19, 2023, after the MP filed his nomination forms.

However, no one was at the Regional Secretariat to receive the form, dashing his hopes as the deadline for filing elapsed at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

"I was at the constituency office Monday where nomination was to be filed, the office had been locked from Monday till today, and I called the Regional secretary which is in the person of Baba Jamal Konneh, that this is the message of what we have been witnessing at Asesewa constituency office and he asked me to continue going to the office and I was giving him feedback. He asked that if they fail to accept then I should come to the Regional Office to submit my forms."

He continued, "…and I started calling him [Regional Secretary] yesterday, but he failed to answer my calls, text messages, WhatsApp messages. He has since not answered my calls. I have been here [Regional Secretariat] since morning to submit my forms unfortunately, the administrators are here, and I came to meet Vice Chairman Hon. Ransford Boakye. The Regional Secretary instructed the administrators not to receive the forms and that no form should be submitted at the regional level," Jeff expressed his displeasure.

He showed evidence of copies of the filled nomination form and other documents, including payment of Ghc40,000 filing fee at the Bank.

Jeff Tetteh Kavianu called on the National Chairman and the General Secretary of the NDC to intervene immediately to ensure that fairness prevails to avert consequences on unity in the Upper Manya Krobo constituency.

Prior to the opening of nomination this year, the Upper Manya Krobo Constituency Executives of the NDC declared their support en bloc to Bismark Tetteh Nyarko to go unopposed due to his exceptional performance in terms of developmental interventions in the areas of education, health, road rehabilitations, women empowerment, provision of police stations and streetlights among others.

The constituency executives went ahead to present Ghc6000 cheque to the MP to purchase the nomination form.

Upper Manya Krobo constituency is a stronghold of the NDC however; in 2016 then opposition NPP candidate Joseph Tetteh won the seat for the party for the first since 1992 with 13,920 votes (56.34%) to defeat then-incumbent NDC MP Jeff Tetteh Kavianu who polled 10,544 votes representing 42,67%.

The defeat was attributed to disunity and disenchantment among the constituents.

In the 2020 parliamentary election, Bismark Tetteh Nyarko of the NDC secured 14,967 votes representing 54.04% to defeat then-incumbent NPP MP Joseph Tetteh who polled 12,307 representing 44.44%.