Petitioner wants former MP Kweku Obodai disqualified

The former Member of Parliament for Agona West, Samuel Kweku Obodai’s hope to return to Parliament hangs in the balance as the NPP’s National Vetting Committee has been petitioned to disqualify him.

Mr. Obodai, who was in parliament for three terms from 2001 to 2013, has been accused of neglecting the party since he lost his seat to the NDC’s Obeng Inkoom in the 2012 parliamentary election.

“He has not contributed to any program of the party,” the petitioner Samuel Krankye from the aspirant’s hometown Agona Nyarkrom said in a letter to the vetting committee dated February 23.

“It is therefore not right for him to come back after almost 8 years of inactive, no contributions, no involvement and participation of any party program to be allowed to contest elections in NPP again.”

The petitioner is therefore relying on Article 12 of the party’s constitution to get the former MP disqualified from contesting the Agona West primary in April.

Mr. Kweku Obadai is expected to face the party’s vetting committee on Tuesday March 3, 2020.

Article 12 of the NPP constitution stipulates among others that someone seeking to stand for an MP should be a known and active member of the party for at least two years and must be in good standing, but Mr. Krankye believes the former MP has not fulfill these provisions.

“We therefore appeal to the committee to disqualify him to serve as a lesson to others”.

Meanwhile Mr. Krankye has told 3news.com that though he is a known supporter of Evans Addison Coleman who is also contesting for the slot, he is no way being influenced by Mr. Coleman.

He insisted that Mr. Obodai is not qualified because he abandoned the party since 2012 and they only got to hear of him again when he went and picked forms for the 2020 polls.

Four persons filed their nominations to contest the NPP Agona West parliamentary primary, they are: the incumbent Member of Parliament Cynthia Mamle Morrison, Samuel Kweku Obodai, Evans Addison Coleman and Mr. Yawson Otoo.

Meanwhile an election watching group, Grassroots Media Caucus has tipped Cynthia Morrison as one of the many incumbent MPs that would win their parliamentary primaries.

The parliamentary primaries are expected to come off on April 25, 2020 across the country. But the aspirants first have to successfully sail through vetting scheduled from February 28 to March 8, 2020.