Ayawaso East By-Election: Greater Accra NPP chairman accused of fueling disunity

Some aggrieved members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ayawaso East Constituency have expressed grievances over what they say is the unilateral decision of their Greater Accra Regional Chairman, David Otoo Agorhom, to hand-pick a candidate to represent them in the upcoming by-election.

These members, some of whom are constituency executives and party stakeholders, have accused the regional chairman of abandoning his unifying role and instead deepening what they term internal cracks by the decision of 'imposing' a preferred candidate on the constituency.

According to information gathered by this reporter, at least five members of the party have formally expressed their readiness to contest the Ayawaso East parliamentary seat on the ticket of the NPP.

However, information available shows that regional chairman has refused to recognise or engage these prospective aspirants, rather choosing to stick to a personal choice, in the person of a person called Baba Ali.

Speaking with the reporter, an Electoral Area Coordinator, identified as Avelon, said Chairman Agorhom's actions could weaken the party and inadvertently benefit the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“About five candidates showed interest and picked nomination forms, but our regional chairman ignored all of them and threw his weight behind Baba Ali, who cannot win power for the NPP in this constituency,” Avelon alleged.

He further warned that such actions risk alienating party supporters and volunteers who are crucial to mobilising votes during by-elections, especially in a constituency considered highly-competitive.

Adding her voice to the growing concerns, Hajia Salma, a former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly, expressed disappointment at what she described as a lack of engagements from the regional leadership.

“Our regional chairman failed to reach out to us even after seeing our completed nomination forms and campaign posters around the constituency. Instead, he appears to be imposing his preferred candidate on the good people of Ayawaso East,” she said.

But reacting to the claims, Chairman Agorhom, when contacted, explained that while he appreciates the interests of some of the members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to contest in the pending race, he did not take a unilateral decision.

He explained that what he has been accused of was rather a decision undertake from the national level of the party.

"Nobody was a candidate. We did not open nomination, so there couldn't have been any candidate.

"NEC took a decision to select a candidate rather than going through primaries," he explained.

He added that there are right channel for such people to share their concerns of the decision or choice of the party for who represents them going into the impending by-elections.

"If someone is having an intention as such, the right place to express such an intention is to go to the constituency executives and not to the media," he added.

Calls have been mounting in the Ayawaso East Constituency as the by-election draws closer, having been prompted by the death of the sitting MP, Naser Toure Mahama.

Although a predominantly National Democratic Congress (NDC) seat, the NPP is looking to cause an upset and win it.