NPP suspends aspiring MP for going solo

Tema, Aug. 11, GNA - The Tema East Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in a letter on Tuesday suspended indefinitely Mr Ramseyer Agyeman-Prempeh, a prominent member of the Party for declaring his intention to contest Election 2004 as an Independent Candidate.

The letter addressed to Mr Agyeman-Prempeh, an Educationist, signed by Mr Kaleem Aliyu the Constituency Secretary of the Party and copied to the Ghana News Agency accused him of flouting the Party's Constitution by going solo.

His suspension follows recommendation by a Disciplinary Committee set up to investigate the conduct of Mr Agyeman-Prempeh, who had wanted to contest the primaries.

The letter said: "Mr Agyeman-Prempeh did not qualify to contest the Party primaries because his formal registration was in February 2004, this is less than the two years period stipulated in the Party's Constitution for one to qualify".

It said without the approval of the Executives he printed tee shirts bearing the logo, effigy and inscription of the NPP.

He is also alleged to have used the Party's Constituency Letterhead to write letters to invite people to a cleanup exercise and also to write to the National Chairman of the Party, the Chief of Staff and others and threatened to "run against the Party as an Independent Candidate".

The letter requested him to retrieve all tee shirts, documents and objects, which portray him as an aspiring Parliamentary Candidate of the Party from circulation.

It said since he "joined the Party in February this year the dues he paid covering the period 2001 and 2003 should be refunded to him". When the GNA, eventually got into contacted with Mr Agyeman-Prempeh on Wednesday, he denied all the allegations levelled against him but said he intended to contest as an Independent Candidate "because the Party Executives (in the Constituency) have not displayed fairness at all". The 32-year-old Headmaster and Proprietor of the Tema High School said he applied to contest the primaries in April 2004 and paid the mandatory fee of 11 million cedis, which was known to all.

However, "before the vetting Mr Anin Addo, the Constituency Chairman pleaded with me to decline and when all pleas had failed he and others adopted all means to kick me out".

He said his supporters received letters from the Constituency Executives to attend a Delegate's Conference on July 18 2004 "only for Mr Ishmael Ashitey (incumbent Member of Parliament) to be acclaimed as the Election 2004 candidate of the Party to their surprise".

On the issue that Party members who go solo faced expulsion he replied: "I am going solo because I have not been treated fairly and when there is injustice and the aggrieved Party wants justices he takes the risk to seek justice and I am sure to win."

He said he joined the Party in the 1996 but was with the Ashaiman Constituency and declared his intention to transfer to the Tema East Constituency in 2000 because he lived in Tema, which was known to the Executives.

"When I joined the Tema East Constituency of the NPP in 2000 all I needed to do was to replace my Party card but Mr Kaleem Aliyu told me that it was delayed due to bureaucracy at the Party Headquarters and it was eventually issued to me in February 2004."

On the tee shirts he said before the primaries he printed a few, which was known to all the Executives including Mr Ashitey "but if there were as many as they claim then I did not authorise it".

He said before the primaries an artist approached him that he normally printed NPP's materials and expressed the desire to do some for him. He, therefore, asked his supporters to contact people to bring samples.

On the allegation that he used the Party's letterhead to write some letters, Mr Agyeman-Prempeh said the letter he wrote to invite his supporters to a cleanup exercise was on plain paper and denied ever writing a letter to any top hierarchy member of the Government or the Party.

He appealed to the Party Leadership to intervene and call for fresh primaries to test the popularity of Mr Ashitey against his. 11 Aug. 04