NPP Suspends Polls

TEN CONSTITUENCIES will not take part in tomorrow's much-talked-about New Patriotic Party (NPP)'s nationwide election to elect parliamentary candidates for the 2012 general elections.

NPP First Vice Chairman Fred Oware stated that two constituencies in the Ashanti region, namely Bosome Freho and Bekwai, are among the affected constituencies.  These two constituencies, in addition to Nkawkaw in the Eastern, have independent MPs who are collaborating with the party in Parliament.

Speaking to Kessben Fm in Kumasi, he said Sisala West and East constituencies would not vote tomorrow.

Others are Obom Domeabra, Sege, Zebilla and Talensi constituencies where there would be no polls on Saturday.

Mr. Oware stated, 'As far as I am concerned, ten constituencies across the country would not take part in Saturday's polls.'

The NPP Chairman said the party had decided not to hold polls in these constituencies because there were some problems there which needed to be worked on.

He explained that the decision to bar these constituencies from voting on Saturday was to ensure party peace and unity, assuring that the party would run polls at these constituencies at a later date.

He said the party had engaged the services of the Electoral Commission (EC) to supervise the elections, stressing that the EC printed the ballot papers for the polls.

Mr. Oware noted that the party would run polls at constituencies where just one candidate filed for the seat, saying, 'These constituencies would give their mandate to these persons via popular acclamation.'

He announced that the party hierarchy, led by the 2012 Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, would tour the entire country on a peace mission immediately after Saturday's polls.

According to him, the NPP gurus that would embark on the tour would meet all prospective parliamentary candidates of the party in the various constituencies.

Mr. Oware explained further that any trouble that would crop up before, during and after the elections in the various constituencies would be thoroughly discussed and solved amicable for peace to reign in NPP.

The NPP, he noted, wanted to confront the 2012 general elections with a united front so the party hierarchy was doing everything possible within its means to ensure that.

Mr. Oware urged the teeming NPP followers across the country to comport themselves during the Election Day and avoid anything that had the potential of causing rancor in the party.

He observed that the NPP had the best chance of winning political power in the next general elections but was quick to state that the party could not achieve its high aim with a divided house.

Some 591 persons are competing to become the 2012 parliamentary candidates for the party in the 230 constituencies nationwide.

Seventy-five of them have been declared unopposed candidates while the remaining 516 would have to compete among themselves during the parliamentary primaries to elect one candidate per constituency.

The 516 candidates that have been okayed for primaries comprise 452 males and 64 females.

Though the number of persons who filed nomination forms exceeded 600, some of them were declared ineligible after they were vetted, while a few threw in the towel on their own.

Ashanti recorded the highest number of candidates, as 95were cleared for primaries while Upper West had 14, being the lowest.

Greater Accra had 77, Northern region had 67, Eastern Region had 62, Central Region had 51, Brong-Ahafo had 49, Western Region had 45, Volta Region had 32 and Upper East had 24.

The NPP made nomination forms available at its national, regional and constituency offices across the country from February 28to March 6 this year for party members who are interested in and qualified to contest the party's parliamentary primaries.

The National Executive Council of the NPP pegged the filing fee at GH¢16, 000.  The amount generated a huge uproar among party faithful.

It was explained that the actual filing fee was GH¢10, 000 while the remaining GH¢6,000 was explained as a developmental levy. Female aspirants were however given a fifty percent discount off both amounts so as to encourage more females to enter parliament. Youth members were also given 25percent rebate.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi & By Halifax Ansah-Addo