Central Regional NDC vetting committee allegedly disqualifies aspirant in favour of incumbent MP

Correspondence from the Central Region

The Central Regional interim vetting committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has allegedly disqualified Ebenezer Quayson, an aspiring parliamentary aspirant for Upper Denkyira West Constituency in favour of incumbent Member of Parliament, Lawyer Daniel Ohene Darko.

It was alleged that the aspirant's disqualification came after he denied the committee's offer to refund his filing fee to enable the MP contest unopposed for the party.

"Professor Richard Asiedu, the Regional Chairman asked to pay my filing fee to stop me from contesting the MP but after disagreeing he told me they will disqualify me.

"All the committee members voted 5:1 against me after the chairman declared and this is biased and unfair," Quayson lamented.

Briefing GhanaWeb after the disqualification, Quayson said the delegates were against the incumbent MP for non-performance thus their support to unseat him to enable them to retain the seat for the NDC.

"The actions of the vetting committee would cause chaos and division among the delegates and the party at the constituency as they were all in favour of me to safe the seat for the party," he said.

He also said the Upper Denkyira West seat was one of the strongholds of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a mistake to present the incumbent MP would empower the ruling party to regain the seat from them.

Quayson cautioned the party executives to reconsider their decision of disqualifying him to restore hope in the delegate to work hard to retain the seat for the 2024 elections.

Some aggrieved supporters of the disqualified aspirants raised concerns that such unfair treatment was causing division among the delegates.

They advised the leadership to come down to the grassroots to prioritise their concerns to help them make informed decisions for the betterment of the party.

Out of the 28 members of group A and aspirants for the parliamentary representing 11 constituencies, only one was disqualified.

The first seat constituencies are Mfantsiman, Cape Coast North and South, Assin Central and South, Upper Denkyira West and East, Twifo-Atti-Morkwa, Ajumako-Enyan-Essian (AEE), Hemang Lower Denkyira, and Awutu Senya West.

Three out of the 11 constituencies went unopposed except the Upper Denkyira West seat which had controversies.

Two incumbent MPs who are going unopposed seats are Cassiel Ato Forson, AEE, Gizella Akushika Tetteh-Agbotui, Awutu Senya West and Emelia Ankomah, and several contestants for the Upper Denkyira East seat.

The 28 remaining parliamentary aspirants of the ten constituencies would face the vetting committee on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, for the process to enable them to contest the upcoming primaries slated for May 2023.

The constituencies include Awutu Senya East, Ekumfi, Agona East, Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa (AOB), Gomoa West, Agona West, Gomoa East, Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese (AAK) and Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA).