Some supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Yendi constituency of the Northern Region are calling on the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party to reconduct parliamentary primaries in the constituency or risk losing the seat in the upcoming election
Addressing the media in Yendi, the supporters of the party said they are not ready to accept any outcome from NEC except a rerun of parliamentary primaries in the Yendi constituency.
After the Yendi NPP parliamentary election was disrupted on January 27, 2024, on suspicion of ballot stuffing, Hajia Abibata Saani Mahama, one of the aspirants, petitioned the National Executive Council of the party to reconduct primaries, citing numerous violations of processes leading to the destruction of ballot papers and other voting materials at venue.
The Electoral Commission officials who supervised the Yendi parliamentary primaries were subsequently interdicted by the Commission, pending an investigation into the suspicion of ballot stuffing by one officer.
At a National Executive Council meeting on Monday, the General Secretary of the party, Justin Kodua announced that a conclusion on the Yendi matter has been reached but, a three-member committee was formed to reach out to the interested parties before a formal communication on the issue is made.
On the back of this announcement, some NPP supporters in Yendi constituency during a press conference cautioned the party against bringing out any other outcome except a rerun of the parliamentary primaries in the constituency.
They added that the party will lose the seat in the upcoming elections if a rerun of parliamentary primaries is not conducted in the constituency, promising to support any aspirant who emerges as a winner at the end of the primaries.
They promised to file an independent candidate should the party fail to reconduct primaries in the constituency to produce a genuine winner, saying they can’t afford to see the Yendi seat in the hands of the NDC like what happened in the year 2008.
They wondered why the NEC, the highest decision-making body of the party, could not take a decision on the matter but rather referred it to a three-member committee.
By: Alhassan D Baba | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
