The Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic party in the Eastern Region, Kofi Osei-Adjei has said that it is fair for the petition of the Municipal Chief Executive for Akuapem South, Frank Aidoo, to be allowed to contest the parliamentary primary in the constituency, to be heard.
According to Mr Osei-Adjei, Mr Aidoo filed a conditional nomination earlier to preempt a situation whereby the incumbent Member of Parliament for the Constituency, OB Amoah decides not to contest.
“I can confirm that that letter is part of his nomination forms at the party head office. It was based on that, that he was disqualified, because the MP was running. So, after the MP has withdrawn and he has also filed a petition, I think it will be fair for the national party to look at the matter again and give him a hearing,” Mr Osei-Adjei said on the January 23 edition of Ghana Tonight with Alfred Ocansey.
He added that “everything rests in the bosom of the law and in the hands of the national party and the NEC and National Council. If they consider it fit for him to run, they can put the election on hold and consider the petition that he has filed. If they agree, they will ask him to be part of the race.”
NPP Primaries: OB Amoah withdraws from Akuapem South Constituency race | 3News
It would be recalled that the incumbent MP, Osei Bonsu Amoah withdrew from the race slated for January 27 per a letter dated January 19 addressed to the General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua.
“I write to inform you that I have decided to withdraw as a candidate for the election of a Parliamentary Candidate for the General Elections in 2024 in the Akuapem South Constituency,” he wrote.
In reaction, Mr Aidoo petitioned the party.
Read full petition below:
I am very much aware of the regulation that enstops all MMDCEs from contesting in constituencies which have the incumbent Member of Parliament running in the 2023 parliamentary primaries.
I am also very much aware that as the Municipal Chief Executive for Akuapem South, I would not qualify to contest in the 2023 Parliamentary Primaries so long as my Member of Parliament is in the contest.
My Member of Parliament since 2021 has communicated to me directly and through others that he has no intention to contest in the 2023 Parliamentary Primaries. Indeed he has been encouraging me to work hard to contest. This advice from my Member of Parliament is one that I have taken seriously and working at till date.
Unfortunately, just as I was preparing to pick my nomination form to contest in the 2023 Parliamentary Primaries, I gathered my Member of Parliament has gone to pick his nomination forms so he can file. A decision I fully back and have no reservation about. The idea has never and will never be to contest my Member of Parliament, but it has always been to contest so long as my Member of parliament is not in the race. So long as he is in the race, he has my full backing and I have no intention to run a contest with him.
That notwithstanding, rumours started in the constituency in the past few days, that my member of Parliament has no such intentions to contest but has rather decided to ride on the regulations that enstops MMDCEs from contesting so he can get me out of the contest unfairly to make way for his Personal assistant to file and run.
I doubted this initially, until I confirmed that indeed the Personal Assistant has actually picked a nomination form to file alongside his Boss the Member of Parliament. Rather strange scenario but of course it goes to confirm the rumour and the unfortunate game plan which is to get me out of the contest unfairly. The member of Parliament’s decision according to the rumour is to file alongside his Personal assistant with the sole objective of getting me disqualified due to the MMDCEs clause and then eventually steps down by which time I would have been out of the race.
As I type this petition this morning, I still doubt this rumour but have no other option than to pre-empt and petition your good office to allow me file on condition that, at any point in time that my Member of parliament decides to step down, I am allowed to come into the race and also run for the sake of fairness and natural justice.
As long as my Member of parliament is in the race and contesting, he has my full backing and unconditional support. But at any point in time through the process that he decides to step down, my appeal on the basis of fairness is to allow me back into the race.
I submit this zppeal for urgent attention because, all efforts to reach my member of Parliament to clarify these issues and put my mind to rest has been unsuccessful and it may very well be that, he is also probably trying to reach me and hasn’t been successful and in order for me not to find my self in a situation of “Had I known”, I appeal to be allowed to take this preemptive action to file my nomination.
Let me reiterate sir, that, so long as my Member of parliament decides to run in this contest, I have no such intentions to contest even without the clause enstopping me. I have the best of working relationship with him and all I wish for is to support him at all times and to continue his good works for this constituency should he decide to bow out at any point.
Hoping my passionate appeal receives your urgent attention.
Thank you and Best Regards
Frank Aidoo
(Municipal Chief Executive, Akuapem South)
Cc:
General Secretary, New Patriotic Party
Regional Secretary, E/R New patriotic Party