Come Saturday and democracy in the Fanteakwa constituency branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Eastern Region will be tested against ethnic politics in the area, when party members go to the primaries to elect their parliamentary candidate for the 2004 elections.
Although the first vote has not been cast, The Chronicle can report that the constituency will experience a fierce fight to determine who should contest on the party’s parliamentary ticket.
One of the favorite aspirants, Mr. Kofi Okyere-Agyekum, for instance, would have to convince the constituents that he was not an imposter.
A search conducted at the Gukpegu-Sabonjida constituency in Tamale unearthed that he (Agyekum) was a staunch opponent of the NPP.
But the report on the search as signed by Mr. Mahama Napari, the Gukpegu-Sabonjida constituency secretary of the NPP, was not specific as to whether Agyekum was a CPP, NDC or UGM party member and for that matter, a staunch opponent of the NPP as alleged.
Yet Agyekum debunked the allegation when he drew a list of the NPP parliamentarians including the Vice President as some of the people he supported during the 1992 to 2000 election campaigns.
“I am prepared to accompany you to the office of the Minister for Works and Housing, Hon. Mustapha Ali, for identification because when I was living in Tamale, I used to campaign for him in 1992 and 1996, and even though he may not recollect my name, if he sees me, he would be the best person to tell if I was an opponent of the party as is being peddled around.”
In fact, I am surprised about what is happening”, he told The Chronicle.
He also said he campaigned for the likes of the Vice President and the current Minister of Works and Housing in 1992 and 2000.
The paper gathered from its scouts in the area that, the constituency executives, led by their chairman Kofi Asare Lartey have launched a three-pronged strategy to ensure that their chosen candidate, Mr. Agyei Addo, from Begoro gets the nod.
On July 25, 2003, after five people, including the District chief executive (DCE) had filed to contest the seat, the executives convened a meeting at Begoro where they allegedly decided to make Agyei Addo their preferred candidate and ensure that he was declared unopposed.
The report further said the DCE was also invited along with Addo, and the former was promised that his position as DCE would be guaranteed should he agree to back out of the contest.
Another account had it that the DCE, in response, asked that the executives put it in writing.
After that meeting, the first strategy was to write derogatory and uncomplimentary remarks on the application forms of the other three contestants, Kofi Okyere-Agyekum, from Osino, Kwabena Amankwah Asiamah, Begoro and Kwabena Ampadu Danquah, from Akyem Hemang.
The second strategy was to refuse to give the other contestants the list of the names of the 178 polling station executives who would constitute the delegates to the congress.
The third, The Chronicle gathered, would see the executives going around and changing polling station chairmen whom they perceived as sympathizing with one of the other three contestants, Kofi Agyekum.
Having got wind of these plans, on August 6, the other three contestants wrote a protest letter to Dan Botwe, the NPP General secretary and the regional party secretary, making specific references to the July 25 meeting, which ended at 2:00 a.m.
They described as undemocratic and constitutional, the behavior of the constituency executives, which they said could undermine democracy in the party.
Almost two weeks after their protest letter, on August 17, the executives responded thus: “It is true that the constituency executive met on the day in question. Those who attended the meeting including Mr. Agyei Addo and Mr. Ofoe Caesar, the DCE who are both aspirants.”
The letter said it should, however, be put on records that the meeting was at the instance of the DCE who had at a previous meeting suggested that between him and Mr. Addo, one should opt out or step down in favour of the other.
It said at the close of the meeting, Addo was preferred over Caesar and he (Caesar) accepted that in good faith.
The executives denied promising to retain Caesar as DCE, but said it promised to support him should he be re-nominated for the post.
The executives further denied agreeing at the meeting to carry Addo as the chosen candidate and said the issue of the polling station officers being handpicked was baseless.
The executives also dismissed the allegation that they refused to give the list of polling stations executives to the other three.
“It is the wish of the constituency executives that in view of the serious allegations leveled against us and the fact that the executives doubt the true membership of the protestors/aspirants” the constituency executives resolved that before the allegations were investigated by the General Secretary and the Regional Secretary, “the true membership of the protestors must first be investigated and ascertained.”
Mr. Agyekum for instance who is known as the favorite aspirant, is alleged to be a staunch opponent of the NPP, an allegation which he has denied.
