The Member of Parliament (MP) for Subin Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Eugene Boakye Antwi, has criticized the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, for declaring his support for the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in the latter's presidential bid.
According to the MP, a local-based radio station, Sompa FM reported that Annoh-Dompreh had claimed in an interview that one hundred and thirty (130) governing party MPs had pledged their support for the Vice President's bid.
Eugene Boakye Antwi maintained that he found it concerning for the Majority Chief Whip who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, who is tasked with maintaining discipline within the ranks of the majority caucus, to make such a statement without any party decision.
“Sompa FM called me that they were talking to Hon Annoh-Dompreh and that Hon Annoh-Dompreh has said the vice president was coming to meet us…that 130 MPs have his support, so I asked him that, now it has changed from 98 to 118 to 130 then they should give him all the 138.
“The Vice President was not the only person who came, Kwabena Agyepong also came and asked that when it is time he will pick up forms, he talked to us nicely and went. After he went, it wasn’t even up to 30mins and the Vice President also came.
“We didn’t vote to decide who is on the vice president’s side or not, so on what basis will make a whole majority chief whip, who is supposed to maintain discipline within the ranks of the majority caucus say a thing like this on the radio…I said he is supposed to be in charge of discipline, because if you start like this then when a meeting starts in your backyard how are you going to control it, because you have taken a position already?” he said.
The Subin MP also criticized Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader who is also the Member of Parliament for Suame Constituency, for expressing similar sentiments, and urged him to allow the party to vote for its own delegates instead of making unilateral decisions about the party's direction.
“Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the same thing and I told him that I don’t agree with him, so I told him to allow the party to vote for their own delegates because he cannot decide on where the party will head towards… we need to be careful, those who are destroying the country are there but for us that we speak the truth, they always criticize us,” he added.
Bawumia has formlly announced his intentions to contest for the flagbearership of the NPP ahead of the 2024 polls.
This comes after the party announced the opening of nominations for the flagbearship slot contest which will begin on May 26 and end on June 24, 2023.
The New Patriotic Party has scheduled its presidential primaries for November 2023.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s inclusion in the NPP presidential candidate race brings the official number of people who have declared their intentions to contest to nine.
They include the former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen; the former Minister of Food and Agric, Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie; Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong; former MP for Essikado-Ketan, Joe Ghartey; and a former MP for Mampong, Francis Addai-Nimoh.
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