I'm going independent to save NPP from losing seat – Berekum West aspirant

An independent parliamentary aspirant for Berekum West Constituency in the Bono Region, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to be vigilant because most of his ministers and appointees are not giving him the true nature of what is happening on the ground.

Legend Derrick Obeng Mensah said such is the situation in Berekum West Constituency and it will spell doom for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2020 elections.

“Some of his ministers and appointees are not giving him the real situation on the ground. I know Nana Addo [Dankwa Akufo-Addo] is a man of integrity but most of his appointees have disappointed him and it will affect them in the 2020 elections,” Mr Obeng Mensah said on Onua FM’s Ghana Dadwene on Sunday.

“2020 is a year of roads but Berekum West has no roads. Most of our towns are on highways but those in the hinterlands have deplorable roads,” he told host Nana Yaw Opare.

Mr Obeng Mensah, who was denied access to picking New Patriotic Party (NPP) forms in the Berekum West Constituency of the Bono Region, says the NPP would lose the 2020 election should he refuse to contest the seat.

He said he was denied access to pick the forms to contest the NPP primaries by the Constituency Chairman, the Secretary and some of the executives because they realized he was a threat to the incumbent Member of Parliament, Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng.

Even though he claims to still be an NPP member despite going independent, Mr Obeng Mensah explained that “Nana Addo believes in the rule of justice but you can’t enjoy freedom without justice. In 2007, 17 aspirants contested the presidential seat of the NPP and it tells you there are modalities for this because our party modalities which were put out by the General Secretary, John Boadu, said no aspirant shall be denied the right to purchase forms”.

Mr Obeng Mensah alleged that “I was denied. They did that just intentionally. They wanted to eliminate me in Rambo style”.

Party office closure

He explained that “the Berekum West party office has been closed for the past three years and the Chairman, Peter Boampong, is using Jiniji Post Office as his office while the party office has been closed”.

He added that they met the chairman at the post office “and the Chairman openly said they would not allow anyone to contest the sitting MP. They would do acclamation”.

“We have to put the partisan politics aside and put on nationalism. We have to do away with the NPP and NDC else we will not move forward with that”.

Mr Obeng Mensah explained that after the Constituency attempt failed, “I called Kofi Boateng, who is the Regional Secretary because our NPP Constitution says I could have picked it at the Regional level”.

“I went to the regional office with eight media houses for them to be my witnesses. I gave [ the Regional Secretary] my petition and asked to pick the forms. He told me they will call me to come and pick the forms the next day. I called severally the next day but he never picked my calls so it was a mafia tactic to eliminate me in a Rambo style”.

He said, “my senior brother was killed by the militia in 1992 at Sunyani because of the NPP so I am an NPP member but when I went to the office to pick the forms, I was vetted on the same day by the regional officers on the same day and disqualified me without selling the forms to me”.

“They said my voters’ ID card was fake but I can tell you that I am doing the NPP a favour to contest the seat, else the NPP will lose in the election if I fail to contest”.

Mr Obeng Mensah alleged that “they [constituency executives] printed their own forms and gave me to fill but I refused to fill so they asked me questions but I told them it was not a vetting day”.

Achievements

The building and road contractor said he has constructed roads, employed several youths in the constituency so that the unemployment would be minimized.

He added that he is constructing a nursing school for the Constituency and all these are from his personal funds.