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14.04.2008 NPP

NPP Vetting In Ashanti Nearly Marred

14.04.2008 LISTEN
By Daily Graphic

The Vetting of NPP Parliamentary candidates in the Ashanti Region was on Saturday marred when 98 polling station chairmen in the Offinso Constituency besieged the venue of the vetting, True Vine Lodge, at Nhyiaeso.

The polling station chairmen sang war songs and made noises at the top of their voices and held a long banner which read “No Vetting, No Vote, “No Vetting, No Party Office", “No Vetting, No Campaign”.

The apparent demonstration of the chairmen forced the members of the vetting committee to move out of the venue to seek refuge elsewhere.

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the party, Mr Robert Amankwa and the Regional Secretary, Mr Sam Cudjoe, were held hostage for almost an hour as the demonstrators prevented them from moving out of the hotel.

The timely intervention of the General Secretary of the NPP, Nana Ohene Ntow, saved the situation, after addressing the demonstrators, who allowed Mr Amankwa and his secretary to leave the hotel.

Nana Ohene Ntow told the demonstrators that the national headquarters had received their concerns and a committee was looking into the matter.

He told them to select a representative to meet him at his office on Wednesday to receive the outcome of the committee's findings.

The Spokesman of the group, Mr George Kwame Amponsah, who is also the Polling Station Chairman of Abofour C.M.B, told journalists that when nominations were opened in the whole country, nomination forms were brought to Offinso South, where aspirants who had interest went and bought them, with some of them having even submitted their forms.

Mr Amponsah said the names of the constituencies were announced on air, with Offinso South conspicuously left out hence their spontaneous action.

After tempers had cooled down, the committee reassembled at the same hotel — True Vine Lodge — at 11.45 am to start the vetting.

The Regional Minister, Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah, who is also the MP for Kwabere-West, was the first to be vetted. The Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Osei-Assibey Antwi, from Manhyia Constituency, was also vetted.

Story by Nana Yaw Barimah

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