Come to national head office for nomination forms – John Boadu to aggrieved NPP aspirants
The General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, says the party’s national office is opening its doors to persons who feel victimised and are unable to pick nomination forms at their constituencies.
His call comes midst accusations that some constituency executives of the New NPP are stifling the hopes of some aspirants who want to contest the party’s upcoming primaries.
“We have just about three days to ago. What we are saying is that henceforth from today [Tuesday] from 7 am to 6 pm, our national office will be opened and we will be available,” Mr. Boadu said.
But it comes with a condition.
“Anyone who comes with evidence of having being denied [the forms] at the constituency and the regional level, we will deal with the situation,” he told Citi FM’s Eye Witness News.
The Party opened nominations for its internal contest to select candidates that will become lawmakers in Ghana’s eighth Parliament.
However, some aspirants are perspiring to get the forms to officially announce their candidature for the internal race, which in the Ashanti Region is the main race to become an MP.
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Being the stronghold of the NPP, a win at the primaries guarantees entrance to Parliament for most aspirants.
Some incumbents appear to be avoiding the competition before the main election.
But the party’s General Secretary wants the drama to end now.
He said, “All these problems about not getting forms should cease. You only make available your non-refundable banker’s draft of GHc 2,000 and you’ll be given the form.”
As supporters of the party, particularly those in the Ashanti Region, spitfire over the inability of their preferred aspirants to pick the nomination forms, Mr Boadu insisted the hoarding of nomination forms was not a decision at the national level.
He was, however, quick to add that the party had wanted to protect the seats incumbent parliamentarians in the Ashanti Region.
“The policy was not a national policy from the top. It was in the Ashanti that decided that given the dynamics, we felt that it is important that the five parliamentarians, who are women, should be protected, supported and encouraged to return to Parliament.”
Ghana’s Parliament has one of the lowest female representation in Africa. Out of 275 MPs, only 37 are women.
Calls for affirmative action to allow more women into the law-making chamber have fallen on death ears, as critics of the policy insist the parties should allow the electorates to elect parliamentarians based on merits and not gender.
The constituencies where new entrants to the NPP parliamentary race are being frustrated are not only those with female sitting MPs.