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01.02.2008 NDC

No Candidate For NDC

01.02.2008 LISTEN
By Daily Guide

INFORMATION AVAILABLE to DAILY GUIDE from Asante Effiduase in the Sekyere East District of the Ashanti region suggests that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is struggling to get people to contest the party's primary to elect a parliamentary candidate for the December 7 elections.

mber 7.

Asante Effiduase is one of the few orphaned constituencies of the NDC.

The NDC chairman in the constituency, Alhaji Adams, who doubles as the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) branch chairman, DAILY GUIDE learnt, has declared that until competent persons express interest in contesting the seat, he would not allow any primary to be held.

Sources close to the chairman told the paper that he has indicated that he prefers the NDC not contesting the parliamentary election in the constituency to presenting the wrong candidate to perform poorly in the polls as happened in the past.

One Mr. Kwadwo Anane contested on the party's ticket in 2004 but had less than 2,000 votes, losing to the NPP candidate, Mrs. Grace Coleman.

As part of efforts to get a desirable candidate, Alhaji Adams, DAILY GUIDE gathered, was making frantic efforts to woo the morning show host of a local radio station in Kumasi, who is an indigene and resident of Asante Effiduase.

The paper learnt also that nomination forms were sent to the radio host on November 10, last year, with a promise that the required registration and filing fees, which amount to GH¢550, would be catered for by the party.

In addition, DAILY GUIDE's investigations revealed that though the morning show host had never associated with the NDC at any point in time, the chairman assured him of a party card and other necessary documents to prove his membership in the party.
Meanwhile, a source close to the radio presenter told DAILY GUIDE that he had rejected what some politicians would described as a juicy offer and had accordingly returned the nomination forms.

Some NDC constituency executives who spoke to DAILY GUIDE on condition of anonymity said the rejection of the offer by the radio host had devastated the executive in the constituency and the chairman in particular as he was now in a fix.

They disclosed that Mr. Kwadwo Anane, who expressed interest in contesting the seat again, had his request turned down by the chairman because of his poor showing at the polls in 2004.

The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the party, Doe Tamakloe, when contacted, described as misplaced rumours that the party could not get a candidate for the constituency.

He stated that three people, including a journalist, had expressed interest in contesting the primary but declined to disclose their names.

The regional scribe also failed to tell when the primary would be held and only indicated that the party was looking forward to selecting a winnable candidate who could wrest the seat from the ruling party on Dece

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