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NPP disowns all parliamentary aspirants contesting as independent candidates

John Boadu, General Secretary of the NPP
John Boadu, General Secretary of the NPP

According to the General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, "The party has noted that the Member of Parliament for the Fomena Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Amoako Andrew Asiamah, who was elected to Parliament on the ticket of the party, has filed to contest as an independent parliamentary candidate. By so doing, he has presumably vacated his seat in parliament pursuant to Article 97(1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic."

In a statement, he said "For the avoidance of doubt, Article 97(1)(g) of the Constitution states that: ‘A member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament if he leaves the party of which he was a member at the time of his election to Parliament to join another party or seeks to remain in Parliament as an independent member'.

"The party has, therefore, taken the necessary steps to inform the Speaker of Parliament of the above circumstances, for appropriate action to be taken."

He stated that the party said all its members who have filed as independent candidates or support any such one, have automatically forfeited their membership.

"The New Patriotic Party (NPP) wishes to serve notice to the few members of the party who decided to file as independent parliamentary candidates that they have automatically forfeited their membership of the party from the very day they filed with the Electoral Commission (EC) to contest pursuant to Article 3(9) of the NPP Constitution," the statement said.

"Equally, by this constitutional injunction, any member of the party who supports or campaigns for an independent parliamentary candidate ahead of the forthcoming general elections, also, automatically, forfeits his/her membership of the NPP.

The party, on the other hand, praised all its members who resisted the temptation to go solo, saying it "also wishes to use this opportunity to commend all the members of the party who had contemplated to go independent but reconsidered their decision in deference to the supreme interest of the party. Such a display of loyalty and patriotism to the party can never go unnoticed, and the party duly acknowledges the same."

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"In particular, the party salutes Hon. Mercy Adu-Gyamfi, popularly known as Ama Sey, the MP for Akwatia Constituency, for paying heed to wise counsel and deciding not to file as an independent candidate but to rather support the party’s 2020 parliamentary candidate for the Akwatia Constituency, Mr. Ernest Yaw Kumi, to retain the Akwatia seat for the NPP.

"The party, again, commends all the former aspiring parliamentary candidates who, even though were unsuccessful in the 2020 parliamentary primaries of the party, are very much involved in campaigning for their respective parliamentary candidates ahead of the general elections.

"Finally, the party congratulates all the 275 parliamentary candidates of the party who successfully filed their nominations with the Electoral Commission to contest in the 2020 parliamentary elections and wishes them the best success in the elections. The NPP is undoubtedly on course to maintaining its overwhelming Majority Seats in the next parliament Insha Allahu."

NPP aspirants contesting solo

However, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Fomena Constituency, Andrews Amoako Asiamah, who entered the legislature on the ticket of the NPP in 2016 is going for his second term as an independent candidate.

The campaign of Andrews Amoako Asiamah has begun with his posters splashed at vantage points across the constituency and on vehicles that personally belong to him.

The MP for the Akwatia Constituency in the Eastern Region, Mercy Adu Gyamfi popularly known as Ama Sey has given an inkling of contesting the 2020 parliamentary election as an Independent Candidate.

Ama Sey who was seeking a second term lost the parliamentary primaries by only four (4) votes to a young legal practitioner Ernest Kumi. 

The MP had 223 votes as against 227 polled by her main contender.

The MP suspected rigging and demanded a recount, however, her demand was rejected.

Also, Eric Osei has filed his nomination as an independent parliamentary aspirant for Asokwa.

He said even President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is happy with his decision to run against the governing party's incumbent MP for the constituency, Patricia Appiagyei, who also doubles as the Deputy Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation.

Kwaku Duah also left the NPP to run against the incumbent MP for Kumawu, Philip Basoah'

He said "I was called by some party leaders two months ago to rescind my decision but I said no.

"We vote for development and progress but the incumbent MP has failed in bringing about any development in the constituency," he said, a situation, which he said made him decide to run as an independent candidate.

He added that the incumbent MP is rather blaming the District Chief Executive and the chief in the area, for his failure to bring development to the constituency.

In the Western Region, another independent candidate, Joy Joycelyn Andoh, is seeking to oust incumbent NPP MP George Mireku Duker of Tarkwa Nsuaem and in the Bono Region, Bernard Oduro Takyi, who also left the NPP, has filed to contest as an independent candidate against incumbent Sunyani West MP Ignatius Baffour Awuah.

 Oduro Takyi claims he was treated unfairly by the party by allowing the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations to go unopposed in the parliamentary primaries.

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