NPP hierarchy cautioned against imposing candidates on electorate

Tema, Aug. 25, GNA - Polling Station Chairpersons and Constituency Executive Members in all the 12 electoral areas in the Ashaiman Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Wednesday appealed to the hierarchy of the Party not to impose any candidate on the electorate.

Making the appeal, the 96 Chairpersons and Constituency Executives, who appended their signatures to a statement to the Press, alleged that, there was a "machination from certain quarters of the party to decide by fiat a candidate to go unopposed."

"In our estimation, a Congress of acclamation will worsen the Party's chances towards retaining the seat in the December Elections". To forestall this, therefore, the Chairpersons and Constituency Executives called on the National Executives of the NPP to fix a date for their Delegates' Congress.

This, in their view, would enable the Constituency to elect a candidate from amongst the three candidates, who have filed their nominations.

Chairpersons and Constituency Executives warned the Party to desist from using "tribal sentiments" to choose a candidate for the constituency, and to relegate the practice to the extreme background, since in their estimation, "Ashaiman today is a cosmopolitan community, which needs a charismatic leader, and not one of any particular tribe."

"We think a congress to determine a candidate will command the respectable support from within the Party, thus the victims will be made to throw their weight behind the elected candidate for the Party to move into a full swing campaign", suggested the signatories.

The three candidates endorsed for the Party's primaries whose date is yet to be fixed, are Mr Emmanuel Teye, incumbent, Mr Eric Kwatia, Special Assistant to the Minister of Regional Co-operation and NEPAD and Mr Patrice Djangmah, a Business Executive.