The Northern Regional Vetting Committee of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has disqualified Bawah Abdul Fataw, one of the aspirants who filed nomination to contest the party’s primaries in the Tamale South Constituency.
In a letter issued by the committee headed by the Deputy National Organiser, Godwin Ako Gunn, Mr.Bawah Abdul Fataw is a voter in the Tamale Central Constituency.
Excerpts of the letter state:
“It will also be recalled that your defence to these queries, after making the above-cited admissions, was that the provisions in Article 41(8)(b) of the NDC Constitution supersede what is contained the party’s guidelines for vetting its parliamentary candidates.
“Consequently, you contended that, per your understanding of article 41(8)(6) of the party’s constitution, a person qualifies if he can prove that he has been a member of the party “within” a period of four (4) years prior to filing to contest on the ticket of the party”
Article 4 I(8)(b) of the NDC Constitution states as follows:
“A member shall not be qualified to contest the primaries for a parliamentary seat if the person is not an active member of the constituency level for the four (4) years immediately preceding the date of filing nomination.
“After reviewing the documents supporting your nomination to contest, the vetting
Committee has determined that your contentions are not borne out by a true and proper interpretation of article 41(8)(b) of the NDC Constitution vis-à-vis the above-cited
guidelines”
“Therefore, the Northern Regional Vetting Committee of the Party has been left with no choice but to inform you that you are not qualified to contest in the party’s upcoming primaries for the Tamale South Constituency.”
The committee has since urged the disqualified aspirant to use party structures to appeal the matter if he so wishes.
This means that the incumbent MP for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, will be contesting unopposed in the May 13 parliamentary primaries.
Fifty-nine out of 74 prospective aspirants who picked nominations to contest the NDC’s parliamentary primaries in the 18 constituencies in the Northern Region were able to file.
Only three of the 59 are females.
Until the commencement of the vetting, three incumbent MPs – Tamale North, Tamale South and Kpandai constituencies – were running unopposed.
By Christopher Amoako|3news.com|Ghana