The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has resolved the political crisis that has rocked the parliamentary primaries in the three Nzema constituencies in Western Region following disagreements among contestants.
The three affected constituencies are, Ellembelle, Jomoro, and Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira.
The parliamentary primaries in the three constituencies in the Nzema enclave automatically had to be postponed following unresolved disputes.
These disputes, unfortunately, emerged out of disagreements at the constituency levels where issues of venue, unopposed candidature, qualification, and disqualification of candidates, regrettably muddied the electoral process.
Reports suggest the General Secretary of the party, Justin Kodua Frimpong, had a meeting with the feuding factions from Ellembelle on Monday. Unfortunately, it appeared they could not resolve the impasse as entrenched positions by both protagonists and antagonists, hit dead rocks.
The case of Ellembelle has therefore been referred to the National Disciplinary Committee for amicable settlement.
Reports also indicate that in front of the General Secretary, the Ellembelle NPP Constituency Chairman Samson Ndonli insisted that they would not allow Abeka Dauda, one of the aggrieved parties to contest Kwasi Bonzoh, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle.
The DCE has been the NPP parliamentary candidate in Ellembelle since 2012. He contested in 2012, 2016, and 2020, but lost all to Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, the current Member of Parliament.
The Ellembelle Constituency Chairman of NPP reportedly claimed he had suspended Abeka Dauda for gross misconduct before the filing of his nomination papers to contest the parliamentary primaries.
Supporters of Abeka Dauda say he is not just a relative of former National Chairman of the party Freddie Blay, but he is considered the godson of the NPP stalwart in politics.
The power play in the constituency, therefore, goes beyond what the eyes can see. It appears the Ellembelle Constituency executives of the party are however bent on making sure the DCE goes unopposed.
In the case of Jomoro constituency, the issue had to do with the caliber of candidates vying for the slot including the former Member of Parliament for the area, Paul Essien, but December 16th, 2023 has been set aside for the conduct of the primaries.
In the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira constituency, there seems to be serious confusion over which venue is being selected for the primaries.
Whereas one faction is rooting for Axim, the capital of Nzema East Municipality which has been hosting most political events, another faction is fighting hard to have the primaries organized in Gwira, the eastern part of the constituency.
The dust over the electoral process seems to have been settled by the party and the feuding factions have agreed on a road map following the proposition that a three-venue approach must be adopted by the party for the conduct of the elections to satisfy all the aggrieved parties.
By: Zambaga Rufai Saminu | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
