Bismark Bebli
29 August 2008
SOME ARDENT members of the Abuakwa-North constituency branch of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Eastern Region yesterday went berserk at the party's headquarters and threatened to campaign for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the upcoming elections if the party tries to impose the parliamentary candidate, Prof. Samuel Kwadwo Amoako on them. According to the irate members of the party, the leadership of the party must uphold the recommendations of the Legal and Constitutional Committee of the party, chaired by the late former Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Peter Ala Adjetey.
The committee, upon a petition from the incumbent MP, Hon. J. B Dankwa challenging the citizenship of the candidate, delved into the matter and disqualified him of having dual citizenship. The party's constitution and the constitution of Ghana debar people from contesting elections with dual citizenship card. The committee, upon its investigations recommended the disqualification of Prof Amoako, a lecturer at the City University in New York, who won the parliamentary primary after battling it out with the sitting Member of Parliament, Hon. J.B Dankwa.
The NPP party supporters are threatening to vote against the flag bearer of the party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and that of the parliamentary candidate if the recommendations were not strictly followed, as they stormed the party office to seek the position of the party executives.
Unfortunately for them no party executive was at the office to attend to them and they went away threatening to return another day. The spokesperson for the group, Mr. Ben Agyeman told The Chronicle in clear terms that nothing would change their mind to campaign against the NPP if their concerns were not addressed.
"We shall campaign against the NPP and campaign for the NDC because we don't know Prof Amoako. He is not even known to the constituency. He even lied to the Vetting Committee and it was unfortunate that the vetting committee also did not do thorough investigation before approving of him to contest the primary," he added.
According to him, it was unfortunate that with just three months to the general elections, the party has not come out to explain to them who is their parliamentary candidate, following the disqualification of Prof. Amoako.
To him, the best option was to allow the incumbent MP, Hon. Dankwa to represent the NPP in the upcoming elections for the second time, saying that, "No J.B, no vote for the NPP. We don't know the Prof." he noted.
Mr. Ben Agyeman, supported by a huge number of party members and visibly worried over their inability to get in touch with the leadership of the party said, "If the NPP indeed believes in the rule of law and democracy, it must allow the law to prevail."
On what should be done, the party supporters said they have officially written to the leadership of the party and that all signals picked indicated that the party lords wanted to treat them with disdain.
According to them the sitting MP has projected the NPP in the constituency with a lot of developmental projects in the area, stressing that any attempt to relegate the MP to the background would amount to the defeat of the NPP in the constituency.
From all indications, the Abuakwa North constituency of the NPP is boiling as the youth wing of the party is leaving no stone unturned to make sure that the recommendations of the constitutional and legal committee of the NPP is duly upheld.
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