NPP primaries: We’ll resist non-democratic, dictatorial tendencies – Delegates threaten leadership

Some New Patriotic Party polling station executives in the Asante Akyem constituency have registered their displeasure over claims that their names have been expunged from the party’s register which will be used for the upcoming primaries.

According to them, per their mandate as polling station executives, they are required to partake in the election of both parliamentary executives and constituency executives.

But quite, unfortunately, they are in the process of being disenfranchised as their names have not been included in the party’s electoral roll. They claim names of about 145 polling station executives in the constituency have been removed from the electoral roll.

However, they have called on traditional rulers in the enclave to intervene as a matter of urgency to avert possible discrepancies.

Using the ‘Kume Preko’ demonstration as a point of reference, the affected constituency executives have threatened to resist any form of dictatorial tendencies by the leadership of the New Patriotic Party.

In a statement registering their displeasure, they explained: "We are saddened to announce that having exercise our first mandate, that is, participating in the elections that brought our current constituency executives into office, and currently preparing to cast our votes in an election that will determine who becomes the NPP’s Parliamentary candidate in our constituency, one hundred and forty-five polling station executives have been removed from the delegates album and replaced by people who are alien to our respective polling stations."

Read the full statement below

PRESS CONFERENCE BY POLLING STATION EXECUTIVES (DELEGATES) OF NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY (NPP), ASANTE AKYEM NORTH CONSTITUENCY DATE; 15TH June 2020.

Invited press, ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today as New Patriotic Party polling station executives (delegates) to register our displeasure and voice out our resentment on the exclusion from the Asante Akyem North delegates album of one hundred and forty-five (145) polling station executives by our constituency Executives Committee thereby disenfranchising us from casting our votes in the parliamentary primaries slated for this Saturday, 20th June 2020.

As polling station executives in the Asante Akyem North Constituency, we were elected on the 18th of January 2018 in an election supervised by Opoku Mensah, popularly referred to as OMENS who happens to be the current head of the National Service in the Ashanti region to serve for a period of four years. Our mandate as polling station executives requires of us to take part in the election of our constituency executives, as we did to elect the current constituency executives at Domeabra on 24th February, 2018 and also the parliamentary candidate who will lead our great party in the 2020 General elections.

We are saddened to announce that having exercise our first mandate, that is, participating in the elections that brought our current constituency executives into office, and currently preparing to cast our votes in an election that will determine who becomes the NPP’s Parliamentary candidate in our constituency, one hundred and forty five polling station executives have been removed from the delegates album and replaced by people who are alien to our respective polling stations.

Some of us got a hint of this undemocratic act when we were deliberately denied our Christmas packages from our party by our constituency executives. Enquiries were made and we followed up to the Constituency Chairman’s house, Mr. Sampson Agyei of which he confirmed to us that he has removed our names from constituency delegates album because according to him, it is his right to do that as a constituency chairman. He also confirmed to Kessben FM in an interview he granted that he has suspended 200 delegates from the party without inviting them to any Disciplinary committee.

Our suspicion was confirmed when the delegate album to be used for the primaries was given to one of the aspirants by our National executives and our names, duly confirmed as expunged and replaced.

Invited Press, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a shame that our constituency executives in the Asante Akyem North Constituency will resort to this crude and undemocratic acts which is alien to the democratic principles and basis upon which the foundations of our great party was built. Our party’s regulations (point no.34) concerning the conduct of the Parliamentary elections scheduled for 20th June, 2020 is explicit on the kind of people who are supposed to take part.

“The Photo Album/Register which was used to elect the Constituency Executives in February 2018, SHALL be the same album that will be made available to the National Parliamentary Vetting Committee (NPVC) and the Electoral Commission of Ghana for the conduct of the Parliamentary primaries”.

The question we are asking as affected delegates is, why the variance in the directives as given by our General Secretary with regards to the use of the Photo Album/Register in our constituency?

Press present, ladies and gentlemen, the backbone of any political party is its grass root; the political fortunes or otherwise of any political party depends on the preparedness of its grass root members to actively champion the party’s affairs at the polling station level.

What we are witnessing today is an attempt by our constituency executives and our current Member of Parliament, Andy Appiah Kubi to destroy the party’s foundation thereby dwindling the electoral fortunes of our party in future elections.

It is sad to note that, our polling station executives whose names have been removed have been replaced with people who are alien to these polling stations with some even not registered voters in our constituency. How can someone who is not a registered voter in our constituency and at the same time does not even stay in that polling station area be made a party executive in our great party? Our 2nd National Chairman, Mr. F. F. stressed on this particular point at the Constituency executives elections at Domeabra in 2018 that, no one can be a polling station executive at where he or she does not vote.

Going into specifics, let us take the DA Primary school, Kansanso polling station with F280101 as its polling station code into perspective, the Chairman, Samuel Kulake’s name has been removed and replaced with James Obeng, who is a registered voter at the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH JUANSA which has F280102 as its polling station code.

Frederick Dzimado, the secretary has his name removed and replaced with Theresah Okai who also happens to be a registered voter at Court house polling station Juansa with F280201 as its polling station code.

Frank Yevor, the organizer has been removed and replaced with Naomi Asiedu who is a registered voter at the Roman Catholic church Juansa with polling station code F280102.

Christian Dzimado Lisa, the youth organizer has been removed and replaced with Kwadwo Paul who is a registered voter at the M D C CHURCH AGOGO with F280701B as the polling station code.

Awoyo S. wonder, the women organizer’s name has been removed and replaced with Ofori Christiana who is a registered voter at the OLD METH CHURCH AGOGO with F280902A as the polling station code.

Press present, ladies and gentlemen, this is just an example of the numerous illegality committed by our constituency executives. Does our constituency executives and our Member of Parliament have the interest of the greater NPP at heart? How can a known NDC activist Pellas Gyasi Herve who is also a branch executive of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), be made a polling station executive at the Temporary Booth polling station Kwadwamena, in the NPP? The blatant disregard for the party’s constitution and its dictates is very alarming and we are calling on our National executives to call our constituency executive officers into order.

We are calling on our National executives to revert this anomaly for peace to prevail in the parliamentary primaries.

What they have done is very dangerous since as duly elected delegates, we have every right to protect our office and our party’s constitution hence it is our resolve to resist this attempt to disenfranchise us even with the last drop of our blood.

We are also respectfully calling on Nananom in the Asante Akyem North enclave to as a matter of urgency come in to avert this impending calamity come the 20th of June 2020.

The ‘Kumi preko’ demonstrations in the 90s led by no other person than our President Nana Akufo Addo has thought members of the NPP to resist all forms of Non Democratic and dictatorial tendencies with all our might and so will we do!

THANK YOU. Cc The National Executive Committee (NPP) The Agogo Traditional Council All Media houses.

Kwabena Frimpong 0241057607 Thompson Gyamerah 0209470210 Festus Enyan 0246221223 Ntim Enock Otuo 0249834007 Patrick Appiah Kubi 0246581995 Boakye Yiadom 0249823591 Stephen Tayoo 0241837156 Obeng Akrofi 0240336356