Over 200 delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Juaben Constituency in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday besieged the party’s office to resist attempts by the executives to allow the Member of Parliament for the area, Ama Pomah, go unopposed.
The aggrieved delegates have threatened to boycott the upcoming 2020 general elections if the MP is not allowed to be contested in the party’s upcoming parliamentary primaries.
There are similar concerns in some constituencies in the Ashanti Region including the Suame Constituency where a prospective aspirant seeking to contest the Majority Leader has petitioned the party’s national office following his inability to pick up nomination forms.
The angry NPP delegates in the Juaben Constituency want the contest to be opened up for every qualified party member to contest.
Speaking to Citi News, leader of the aggrieved delegates, Ransford Osei stated that they will not rest until the process is opened up for others to contest.
“The party decision from the National Headquarters that they want all the women from the Ashanti Region to go unopposed is not good. If each and every constituency supports this idea, we, the New Juabeng Constituency youth are not in support of this decision. Each and everyone qualifies to pick a form and we want the party to make way for everyone to pick a form so that the qualified ones will be voted for. If that person is voted for, we are ready to support the person and help the party to win power come 2020. We are not bringing anyone to contest Ama Pomaa but we want the party to make way for everyone interested to pick up forms. They should give everyone the chance to pick the forms,” he added.
Also, the delegates are opposing a directive by the party’s National Executives to allow women who are sitting MPs to go uncontested in the primaries.
“We the concerned youth in Juaben Constituency are not happy with the directive from the National Headquarters saying that all the women in the Ashanti Region should go unopposed. We are not in support of it because when the party was taking the decision, they didn’t even consult we the polling station executives. They should have consulted those of us at the grassroot level,” Mr. Osei further stated.
NPP primaries slated for April 25
The NPP will hold its Presidential primaries on April 25, 2020.
The party will also be electing the remaining Parliamentary candidates on the same day.
