The New Patriotic Party’s annual delegate conference at the various constituencies commences today, Thursday, April 28, 2022.
The five-day event scheduled to end on Monday, May 2, 2022, will conclude with the election of the party’s executives across the various constituencies.
Preceding the constituency delegates conference was the election of the polling station and electoral area officials of the party, who will, in turn, elect the constituency officials.
From the onset of the election of polling station officials, several accusations were levelled at some party officials of deliberately denying application forms to some candidates in a bid to favour other candidates.
The alleged acts of sabotage which led to disagreements caused elevated levels of violence in several constituencies across the country.
Events from the election of the polling station and electoral area officials, have left the NPP at a tipping point of a likely outbreak of misunderstanding in its constituency elections.
Dome Kwabenya
The Dome Kwabenya Constituency has been identified by the NPP as one of four flashpoints in the Greater Accra Region ahead of the annual delegates conference.
This, according to the NPP’s Greater Accra Regional Chairman, Divine Agorhom, has caused the party to liaise with the security agencies to put in place measures to forestall any unforeseen development.
“We’ve engaged him [the IGP]. He will be detailing his men to provide security. They have just a few flashpoints for which they would have to beef up on the numbers. Ordinarily, I would have said that the Police Command in the districts should be enough for this except for areas whereas I said earlier we consider flashpoints,” he told Joy News.
“So far, they [the flashpoint constituencies] are just about four; you know we have quite a volatile situation at Odododiodio, also Dome Kwabenya, you know the situation there. I think these two we can put on air; the rest we don’t want they themselves to even know we consider their constituencies as flashpoints,” he added.
According to some NPP members in the Dome Kwabenya Constituency, there have been deliberate attempts to expunge names of aspirants aligned to the current MP, Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, from the constituency’s register ahead of the election.
Some disgruntled party members have sent the matter before the Kwabenya Circuit Court. The applicants have asked the court to grant an injunction stopping the election from taking place until the matter is resolved.
Akuapem North Constituency
There has been growing tension in the Akuapem North NPP between members aligned to the incumbent MP, Ama Dokua and the current Director-General of the National Lotteries Authority, Sammy Awuku.
During the election of polling station officials, members from both sides accused each other of resorting to intimidation, abuse and sabotage against their preferred candidates.
The Constituency Women’s Organizer of Akuapem North, Awo Boatemaa, speaking of the situation during the election of polling station executives, said, “I wish you were here to witness what is going on; it is unsavoury. When the election started, armed men invaded the town, and we’ve not enjoyed any peace ever since.”
She added that “I hear Sammy Awuku wants to contest for the MP in Akuapem North. So, when you go to vote for the polling station executives, they tell you to vote for the supporter of Sammy Awuku or Dokua. The election is not an NPP election. It is a Sammy Awuku and Ama Dokua election.”
The polling station election in Akuapem North is said to have witnessed men clad in police and military uniforms carrying whips, guns and knives intimidating electorates to vote for polling station executives who owe allegiance to a candidate.
Yendi Constituency
In the Yendi Constituency, a fierce competition between the incumbent MP, Farouk Mahama and the Chief Executive Officer for the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Hajia Abibata Shani Mahama Zakaria, has led to unease in the constituency.
The same allegations of intimidation, sabotage and abuse were common between the two factions and their supporters during the election of polling station executives.
At an event held to wrap up campaigning ahead of the constituency executive elections, accusations were traded between the 1st vice-chairman, Baba Gambari and an aspiring constituency chairman, Alhaji Baba Gazale, over the confusion in the constituency.
While the 1st vice-chairman made allegations of hatred against the incumbent MP by some officials, Alhaji Baba also levelled a counteraccusation of efforts to bring instability into the party.
There have been several allegations of album manipulation in the Yendi constituency.
At a press conference held on Sunday, April 24, 2022, Yendi constituency chairman Saddick Nam said, “We are appealing to the party leadership to suspend the elections or change the electoral album. If nothing is done about the situation before the election day, we will take matters into our hands.”
Subin Constituency
In the Subin Constituency, the same allegations of album manipulation led some members and disgruntled candidates to stage a protest during the election of polling station executives.
The protesters went on to lock up the party’s constituency office while threatening to thwart the operations of the party if their names, which allegedly had been deleted from the party album, were not restored.
Fomena Constituency
In the Fomena Constituency, some members of the party have been up in arms against what they say are attempts to impose the independent Member of Parliament for the area, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, on the party as a parliamentary candidate.
The situation led to a protest by the party members, who ended up painting the constituency office of the NPP in the colours of the opposition NDC amidst threats to defect from the party.
Other constituencies with pending issues
With the same problems and allegations of deliberate attempts to manipulate albums in favour of some candidates, several constituencies have also experienced agitations and confrontations between party members.
Some of these constituencies include Bantama, Obuasi, Kade, Juaben North and South, Manhyia, Abirem, Tano North, Hemang, Ahafo and Kwadaso.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com