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NPP members in Fomena constituency of the Ashanti Region are totally mad at party leaders for trying to impose second deputy speaker,Mr.Andrews Amoako Asiamah on them in the 2024 parliamentary elections.
Speaking at a press conference this morning,they indicated that,they have noticed with great concern attempts by some elements within the party hierarchy at the national level to impose Hon. Andrews Amoako Asiamah, the Independent Member of Parliament for Fomena Constituency on the party in the 2024 elections.
According to them,the attempt is what they believe have culminated in the suspension of the internal party elections in Fomena Constituency.
Mr.Michael Ankapong, leader of the group who is also an aspiring youth organizer for the Constituency noted during the press conference that,for the avoidance of doubt, the Constitution of the NPP provides in Article 3(9)(1) as follows: “A Member of the Party, who stands as an independent candidate against the officially elected member of the Party, or who joins or declares his or her support for another Political Party, or for an independent candidate, when the Party has sponsored a candidate in a general or by-election, automatically forfeits his or her membership of the Party”.
“You will recall that Hon.Asiamah was the NPP MP for Fomena from 7th January 2017 until his seat was declared vacant on or around 7th November 2020 due to his declaration and filing of nomination forms to contest the 2020 Parliamentary elections as an independent candidate, at a time when the party had duly elected a parliamentary candidate.
Despite the fact that Honourable Asiamah subsequently won the election and chose to do business with the NPP group in Parliament, there is no doubt that he is no longer a member of the NPP; and neither are his close associates who campaigned vigorously and openly for him in the 2020 elections. This is in accordance with Article 3(9)(1) of the NPP’s Constitution, which to the best of our knowledge is still in effect.
Article 3(9)(2) of the Constitution also clearly stipulates that, upon forfeiture of membership, which Honourable Asiamah and his close associates did in November 2020, such persons may reapply for membership of the party and may be readmitted on conditions stipulated in the Constitution.
To the best of our knowledge, we are not aware of any reapplication for membership of our great party on the part of Honourable Asiamah or any of his close associates.
We are however well aware of the fact that the 2020 elections are in the past now, and that as a party we need to have a united front from now until the 2024 elections, especially given the acrimonious nature of election 2020 in Fomena Constituency.
We are also aware of attempts by some NPP Members of Parliament of nearby constituencies, including the Honourable Joe Osei-Wusu of Bekwai, who has been an Independent MP himself in the past and Honourable Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, the MP for Suame and Majority Leader, to reconcile Honourable Asiamah and his close associates with the NPP party leadership in the Fomena constituency, ostensibly to pave the way for Honourable Asiamah’s return to the party and ultimately gaining control of the party in Fomena. “He noted.
He said ,that notwithstanding, the party’s Constitution, which is it’s supreme law, must be adhered to by all party members.
Again “it is for this reason that we find it quite strange and absurd that elements within the party hierarchy at the national level are trying hard to circumvent the laid down provisions of the Constitution, in relation to Honourable Asiamah and his close associates, who abandoned the party in 2020 to pursue their own parochial interests, for which they succeeded.
It is clear for any keen follower of NPP politics to see that the suspension of the internal party elections in Fomena Constituency is to prepare the grounds for the imposition of Honourable Asiamah on the party in the 2024 parliamentary elections.
For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to clearly state that we will resist any attempt to impose Honourable Asiamah on the party, either covertly or overtly.
There will be no power sharing agreement regarding executive positions and allocation of delegates in the constituency as is being suggested, between NPP members who remained loyal to the party throughout the 2020 elections and still are, and Honourable Asiamah and his close associates, who abandoned the party and pursued their own parochial interests in the 2020 election.
The argument that the party is somehow indebted to Honourable Asiamah due to the fact that he decided to do business with the NPP group in Parliament, thus giving the NPP a majority is neither here nor there and even counterintuitive.
How can the party be indebted to someone who went against the Party’s Constitution and failed to heed the advice of no mean a person than His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to drop his independent MP ambition?
In any case, did Honourable Asiamah have a choice when he decided to do business with the NPP considering the fact that he had campaigned on the platform of winning the seat for the NPP?
What about the fact that a majority of those who voted for him were actually NPP voters, who were disgruntled with the party for a number of reasons? A simple analysis of the Presidential and Parliamentary election results in Fomena will reveal this.
Was Honourable Asiamah going to risk his political career by doing business with the NDC group in Parliament knowing very well that it was as a result of a majority of NPP voters that got him to Parliament and the fact that Fomena constituency has historically been an NPP stronghold?
Why does Honourable Asiamah seem to want to manipulate or have manipulated internal party processes in his favour, the same type of situation that led to him deciding to go independent in 2020?
What therefore is the logic behind the attempts by some elements within the party hierarchy to reward Honourable Asiamah and his close associates for disloyalty to the party?
If any lesson should be learned from the 2020 elections, especially the parliamentary elections nationwide, it should be the fact that internal party processes and rules must be respected, especially by those who see to the implementation of these rules.
Doing otherwise, as seems to be the master plan from all indications, has the tendency of killing the morale of true party members, the grassroots and foot soldiers who are loyal to the party. Rewarding disloyalty has never been the hallmark of the NPP, and should never be, regardless of the circumstances.
We therefore unequivocally call on the party leadership to do the right thing by ensuring that internal party elections are held in Fomena constituency in a free and fair manner before the time slated for the Regional party elections, as failure to do so will affect the legitimacy of the Regional as well as the National Party elections scheduled to take place later this year.
We also urge Honourable Asiamah and his close associates, if they are indeed interested in holding positions within the party at the constituency level now or in the near future, to reapply for membership of our great party in accordance with the laid down procedure.
In the case of Honourable Asiamah in particular, this will mean him having to vacate his seat as an Independent MP for Fomena (and by extension the 2nd Deputy Speakership) in accordance with Article 97(1)(h) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, thereby triggering a by-election, for which he must contest an internal party primary election first, subject to Article 12 of the NPP Constitution, in particular, Article 12(4).
For emphasis, Article 12(4) provides that: “A member applying for nomination as the Party’s Parliamentary Candidate should be a known and active member for at least two (2) years, provided that, in appropriate cases, the National Executive Committee, in consultation with the Regional and Constituency Executives, may dispense with this requirement”.
In conclusion, we do not believe that the NPP, a party firmly rooted in the rule of law, will sit back unconcerned and allow illegality and disloyalty to prevail in Fomena constituency.
Given the fact that Fomena constituency is now an orphan constituency for the NPP, having lost the seat to an Independent candidate, we find it hard to believe that the party will once again use the same playbook it used in the 2012 elections, where parliamentary primaries were only conducted in some constituencies that had Independent MPs, three (3) months to the 2012 elections, when a by-election was not possible, thereby skewing such primaries for the Independent MPs who were granted amnesty and welcomed back to the party – some of whom capitalized on this unfair advantage and uneven playing field.
We therefore demand transparency and accountability from the leadership of the party, especially at the national level, but also at the regional and constituency levels, with regards to Fomena constituency and the role of Honourable Asiamah in party matters, since he is not a member of our great party.
To this end, we respectfully request to be furnished with responses to the following within one week:
A formal written explanation from the National Executives of the NPP as to why internal party elections in Fomena constituency have been suspended.
A formal written communication from the National Executives of the NPP of the purported decision to impose Honourable Andrews Amoako Asiamah as an unopposed candidate on Fomena NPP in the 2024 elections, even though he is not a member of the NPP in light of Article 3(9)(1) of the party’s constitution.
A formal written communication of the purported decision to allow Honourable Andrews Amoako Asiamah’s close associates and supporters, all of whom are not members of the NPP in accordance with Article 3(9)(1) of the party’s constitution, to contest in the internal party elections in Fomena.
Failure to furnish us with responses to the aforementioned, will leave us no option but to embark on a peaceful demonstration against the party throughout Fomena constituency in the coming weeks, to demand transparency and accountability and for the right thing to be done.”It was further stated.
Mr.Micheal Ankapong concluded that,they will resist any attempt to impose Honourable Asiamah and his close associates on the party with all their strength and with all their might, if due process is not followed.
Source: Ayisah Foster, Contributor
