Mampong NPP scuffle worsens…Supporters threaten to go to court
A bus-load of executives and members of the Asante Mampong constituency branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) yesterday stormed the party's national headquarters at Asylum down in Accra, to protest against what they claimed to be irregularities in the organization of elections to elect polling station executives in the area.
The disenchanted members, who numbered over 50, wore red arm and head bands and sang war songs to signify how serious they were. This was at a time the steering committee of the party was sitting to determine the concerns of the protestors, captured in a long petition against their incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Francis Addae Nimo and his agents. Their concern was that the MP, who is barely a year old in office, is gradually dividing the party's front.
In a petition presented to the leadership of the party, the protestors noted that the MP has succeeded in dividing the constituency executives into two factions, and he is supported by the constituency Chairman, Oheneba Akwasi Duwaa, Treasurer, Osei Bempa, Assistant Secretary, Atta Nti, Youth Organiser, Kwame Obeng.
The rest of the executives, including the Vice Chairman, Kwame Ampomah, Secretary, Twum Amankwah, Women Organiser, Akua Adoma, Organiser and former Municipal Chief Executive, Rockson Agyekum, and Daniel Ayamfo - the Financial Secretary, have been left to their, since the MP claims they are not trust-worthy and cannot work with them. According to them, the MP took advantage of the division he has created to organize some polling station chairmen to pass a vote of no confidence in the executives.
Against the odds, the group noted that the MP and his followers have managed to hijack the entire process for the selection and election of polling station executives to the exclusion of other members of the executives, especially those tagged as his enemies and opponents, stressing “it was only three days to the end of the registration exercise and only the intervention of the Regional Executives that the process was extended to the whole constituency.”
They also noted that “the chairmen, who are not in the MP's camp were undermined and frustrated from doing their work, whilst “rival parallel registration officers were selected by the MP to compile his list/register.”
That notwithstanding, they indicated that some committed party activists were refused registration because their loyalty to the MP was in doubt. “Even the Constituency Secretary was not registered.” they said in the petition. In many of the polling stations, they claimed that a validation process did not take place because the MP and chairman did not allow it.
They also said the sale and purchase of nomination forms were fraught with difficulties, confusion and outright refusal, stressing “in many areas which were under the direction of the pro-MP polling station chairmen, there was a blatant refusal to sell to members whose loyalty to the MP was in doubt.”
The constituency chairman and the MP were said to have introduced a system to vet the applicants' loyalty (loyalty test), especially those perceived to be against the MP, before their forms would be considered and possibly accepted.
According to them, these and other infractions were reported to the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the party, Yaw Amankwah and the National Women's Organiser, Rita Asobayire who was in Kumasi recently. The latter suspended the elections and urged them to meet at the National headquarters to resolve the impasse.
The protesters wondered why the MP and his group, including the constituency chairmen were bent on defying the directive and swore heaven and earth to go ahead with the elections.
For these and other reasons, the disgruntled members and the executives have cautioned the leadership of the party to be mindful of their actions and inactions, since according to them, “the temperature in the constituency is very volatile.”
It is their belief that the only way to calm nerves is to conduct open and transparent elections for all interested party members to participate and contest for the available positions, adding that “anything short of this will destroy the constituency or party with serious consequences.”
“We condemn in strong terms the MP's introduction of Nana Addo and Allan Kyerematen issue into the polling station elections contest”, they said, and emphasised that “it is reprehensible and must be stopped.”
“This, they said was evident in the fact that, it was destroying innocent people in the constituency, since in their opinion “there appears to be a divisive secret hand behind the arrogance and impudence of the MPs behaviour and actions.”
When the paper contacted the MP, Mr. Addae Nimo for his comments, he said he was at a meeting at the party's headquarters, obviously on the same issue and could, therefore, not speak until the meeting was over.
The last time the leadership of the party played the ostrich with similar problems, and pretended as though they did not exist, the group noted -”we lost an , which from all indications we should have won. It has started again and this time, with a more venomous head, we dare say that the consequences will be more disastrous.”
“The leadership must not fail us, if they fail us, we will fail them and the party. They should demonstrate leadership and direction, take the bull by the horn, put aside their parochial interests, uphold the supremacy of the party and its rules, regulations and procedures, foster transparency and unity in the party, otherwise history will never forgive them,” the petition said.