Ketu North NDC Parliamentary Primaries - Due process and rule of law must prevail

I, Maxwell Maundy - Author/Writer/Activist/Columnist - and concerned citizens of Ketu North Constituency in the Volta Region of Ghana have been saddened by a sudden development in the impasse of the Parliamentary Primaries of Ketu North Constituency held on Saturday 13th May 2023.

As at the close of elections, officials of the Electoral Commission who presided over Ketu North election declared Messers Edem Agbana and John Adanu as candidates with maximum votes of 358 each, and announced a re-run of the election.

However, on Monday 15th May, news got round that the two Parliamentary finalists of Ketu North have been summoned to a hearing at the Party national Headquarters on Tuesday the 16th of May 2023.

At about Five o'clock in the evening, we started seeing notices on some Party platforms:

"Breaking news
After a hearing conducted into the events surrounding the parliamentary primaries in Ketu North constituency. And upon establishing that the two ballot papers had serial numbers corresponding to the serial numbers in the ballot booklet assigned to the constituency.

The Committee chaired by the National Chairman, Hon Asiedu Nketiah together with the General Secretary, Hon Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey and the National Organizer, Joseph Yammin, has declared Edem Agbana as the duly elected parliamentary candidate for Ketu North.

Edem Agbana was represented by Edudzi Kudzo Tameklo as his lawyer. Elikplim Agbemava as lawyer for John Adanu."

Various online portals began publishing the hearing and it outcome. Citi TV and TV3 carried it in their evening news bulletin on the day.

Reading and listening to news coverage of the outcome of the hearing at the national Headquarters, many questions have been raging in the minds of the discerning citizens and delegates of Ketu North Constituency. Amongst these are:

1. Were officials of the Electoral Commission present at the hearing?

2. Can Party executives rewrite the rules governing validity of a ballot paper in an election conducted by the Electoral Commission?

3. How can Party Executives overrule a decision by the Electoral Commission of Ghana?

4. What legal mandate has Party executives to declare a winner in an election conducted by the Electoral Commission?

5. Are we not setting a bad precedence if we allow this gorilla tactics or Animal Farm ruling to stay?

Point of notice on the candidature of Edem Agbana

Mr. Edem Agbana is currently a member of the National Communications Team of the Party, having served in the immediate past administration as Deputy National youth Organizer.

In the recently held national Chairmanship elections of the Party, Mr Edem Agbana served as spokesperson for Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, who eventually won the Chairmanship race.

With this background in mind, it is no secret that Edem Agbana is well connected at the national level of the Party hierarchy. In fact, the Party National Headquarters where the ruling took place, is Edem Agbana's office.

Isn't it therefore a matter of concern for an election dispute involving Edem Agbana to be presided over by Party Chairman Asiedu Nketiah, whom Edem Agbana served as a spokesperson for?

Is it the case of "scratch my back, and I scratch yours"? Is this not a clear case of conflict of interest?

There is an extreme anger brewing amongst the youth and delegates of Ketu North Constituency over the gorilla tactics employed by national executives to declare Edem Agbana as winner of Ketu North Parliamentary Primaries.

We would therefore like to send a very strong message to the National Executives to rescind the so-called Animal Farm ruling declaring Edem Agbana as the purported winner of Ketu North Parliamentary Primaries, and allow the due process of the law to prevail.

We - the youth of Ketu North Constituency - would humbly plead with National Executives not to take us for granted. We would like to state emphatically that, it would be in the best interest of Party to allow the Electoral Commission to do its job, and conduct a run-off, as was earlier announced by the EC, and widely publicized.

We would also present a petition to the Electoral Commission of Ghana on the matter. Citizens of ketu North would urge the Electoral Commission not to allow Party executives to overrule its earlier ruling on the Ketu North Primaries.

We would resist attempt by Party National Executives to favour a candidate. The distinguished delegates of Ketu North who voted on 13th May 2023, are the same delegates who will be voting for the run-off. We therefore insist on the run-off as announced by the EC for clear determination of the will of the people of Ketu North.

Maxwell Maundy - Member, Concerned Citizens of Ketu North