Ketu-South NPP rejects candidate

The political atmosphere in the Volta region is getting charged each day, with some selected constituencies of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) having it difficult in settling on a parliamentary candidate, a situation that most of the party supporters say is likely to affect the fortune of the party, should the Regional and National executives fail to intervene.

In the Ketu-South constituency, the polling station chairmen of the party are divided over the candidature of the aspiring Member of Parliament, Mr. Peterson Midadze, as some of them claim he was not qualified to stand on the ticket of the party.

At an emergency meeting held by the polling station chairmen recently, 62 out of 104 withdrew their recognition and support for Mr. Midadze, after levelling a number of allegations against him.

A resolution read at the emergency meeting by the Secretary to the polling Station Chairmen, Mr. Simon Agbedevi, said the decision by the polling station chairmen to pass a vote of no confidence in the parliamentary candidate was motivated by the fact that he failed to embark on campaign activities in the area, as the election was drawing nearer.

Mr. Agbedevi continued that as the polling station chairmen and party supporters were ready and expected that the parliamentary candidate would involve them in serious party activities, Mr. Midadze allegedly failed to start campaigning in the area, while their political opponents have intensified their campaign activities.

The statement further said that if the candidate was allowed to stand as the representative of the NPP in the constituency, the party would not make any significant impact in the forthcoming elections, and that the polling station chairmen would not sit down for Mr. Midadze to destroy the party.

According to the statement, Mr. Midadze had both a Ghanaian and Canadian citizenship which disqualifies him from standing as the aspiring parliamentary candidate, adding that the polling station chairmen were uncomfortable about the development because their opponents were aware that the NPP candidate had dual citizenship. Mr. Midadze has allegedly objected to such claims.

The statement further stressed that the same recognition and support was withdrawn for the constituency executives based on their inability to address general concerns, which would definitely affect the progress of the NPP in the December elections.

When contacted, the NPP parliamentary Candidate, Mr. Midadze disputed the allegations and said he was surprised about the conduct of the polling station chairmen who are supposed to assist him wrestle the seat from the incumbent NDC. To him, they had an agenda rather than the interest of the party.

Mr. Midadze explained that since he was elected last year he embarked on a vigorous campaign in the constituency which led to the formation of over 40 youth clubs -dubbed “friends of Peterson and Nana Akufo Addo. According to him, the club was involved in numerous activities noting that the abrupt attack on him by the polling station chairmen was surprising and asked them to re-examine their positions.

He, however, agreed that he lived in Canada for twenty-two years and had dual citizenship, but since he made up his mind to involve himself in active politics in Ghana, he renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2007.

Meanwhile, a section of the polling station chairmen said they still support the candidate and would give him the needed recognition to enable him win the seat for the party, but those who did not support the candidate and passed a vote of no confidence in him and the constituency executives, have held a meeting at Aflao to elect interim executives.