Okere Constituency NPP is boiling

Adukrom [ER], June 03, GNA- The debacle over the conduct of primaries to select Parliamentary candidates for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is simmering further, the latest being the Okere constituency in the Eastern Region, where a group of polling station chairpersons are in arms against some constituency executives.

While Francis Boateng's bloc of 59 polling chairmen are accusing the NPP's leadership of underhand dealings in the disqualification of three parliamentary aspirants, Mr. Owiredu Kwanor, the Constituency Chairman, on the other hand, has flatly denied the accusations describing them as frivolous.

Mr. Boateng's coalition is protesting against what it claims is "corruption and manipulation" by the constituency and national executive to pave way for Mr. Dan Kwaku Botwe, to contest the Okere seat "virtually on a silver platter."

The group, at a press conference at Adukrom Akuapem on Monday, threatened to employ both legal and other means to make the NPP's National Executive Committee reconsider its decision to debar Mr Paul Larbi, Mr.Charles Okraku, and Mr. Clement Ofori from contesting the primaries.

According to the group, any refusal by the party's leadership to heed their call would result in a backlash of vote against the party's preferred choice, Mr Botwe, in favour of one of the disqualified aspirants during the December elections.

Mr Boateng also spoke of the intention of his alliance to "go on demonstrations" as well as undertake other actions "we consider necessary to promote the interest of the party and the well-being of the polling chairpersons in the constituency."

Describing the disqualification of the three as "unpopular and dangerous", Mr Boateng said the decision, if allowed to stand, would lead to another party winning the seat.

He said he could not understand how Mr Botwe was being allowed to contest a seat in a constituency in which he was not listed as a voter. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr. Owiredu Kwanor denied that he is pushing Mr Botwe's bid.

Explaining the disqualification of Mr Larbi, Mr Kwanor said the decision was taken by the National Executive Committee based on Article 11 of the NPP's rules on the conduct of elections, which demands of potential aspirants to be known and active members of the constituency for at least two years.

Mr Larbi, he posited, failed on both yardsticks as he had not shown any demonstrable commitment in nurturing the developing of the party in the constituency and only obtained his membership card at the beginning of this year, the same reasons that were used in disqualifying Mr Clement Ofori.

He said in the case of Mr Charles Okraku, he was disqualified on the grounds that he failed to resign his polling station chairman position as enshrined in Rule 10 of NPP's regulations on the conduct of elections. The Okere constituency of the NPP has 85 polling stations and 10 executive members making an electoral college of 95 for the selection of a parliamentary candidate.