Six constituencies with sitting New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament will not participate in Saturday’s parliamentary primaries.
The affected constituencies are Mampong and Fomena in Ashanti, Binduri in Upper East, Agona West in the Central region, Akwapim South in the Eastern region, and Sunyani East in the Bono Region.
This decision stems from court injunctions and other issues brought to the attention of the party’s national leadership.
At Fomena for instance, the party is trying to resolve a palpable break as an independent candidate is merging from the party’s ranks while there is a sitting MP. Sunyani East has had the constituency album rejected by the High Court, a situation that has stalled the election of constituency executives, while at Akwapim South, the party’s regional executives are seeking ‘broader consultation’ over what to do with the withdrawal of the sitting MP, OB Amoah, from the race.
Justin Kodua Frimpong, the General Secretary of the NPP who identified the affected constituencies speaking in an interview on Asempa FM on Thursday, January 25, stated that he has not been officially notified about a potential seventh constituency, the Upper Denkyira East.
He however announced the party’s readiness for the primaries, assuring that ballots and election materials have been printed and readied for distribution.
Mr Kodua expressed confidence the elections would conclude by the 2pm closing time. He does not anticipate any delays and urged stakeholders to facilitate a seamless exercise
The party has cleared 326 parliamentary aspirants for the January 27 primaries to elect its parliamentary candidates in constituencies where the party has sitting Members of Parliament (MPs).
Out of the total number of 373 aspirants, who filed to contest the primaries, after vetting, 33 are going unopposed while 11 were disqualified, with two others referred to the National Executive Committee (NEC). Two who were cleared to contest have since stepped down, one submitted incomplete forms and two did not show up for vetting.
Credit: myjoyonline. Com
