FOR the fourth consecutive time, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has failed to elect a parliamentary candidate for the Suhum Constituency in the Eastern Region.
At the primary held at the residence of the district chief executive for Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar on Wednesday, the two aspirants, Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah, the incumbent MP, who is also the Deputy Minister for Communications, and Mr Bryn Acheampong, an information technology consultant, each had 51 votes, resulting in second run-off on a day yet to be decided on.
At the third primary held on June 25, this year, both candidates had 51 votes each, resulting in the first run-off.
The tension-filled primary, characterised by the trading of accusations and hooting by some of the delegates, particularly those from Mr Acheampong’s side, was, however, kept under control by heavy police presence.
According to the delegates on the side of Mr Acheampong, the sitting MP, in a bid to secure his incumbency for a second term, allegedly camped about 47 of the delegates at an undisclosed hotel in Ashiaman for about one week, denying Mr Acheampong access to them.
They also bemoaned the constitutional requirement of the party which allowed sitting MPs to cast their votes during primaries, at the expense of other contestants who were not allowed to vote.
The delegates, therefore, called on the executives of the party to consider amending the party’s constitution to disallow sitting MPs from voting at primaries, noting that it was because of that constitutional requirement that the Suhum primary had been ending up in run-offs.
Mr Opare-Ansah, as a delegate, cast his vote at the last two primaries, bringing his votes from 50 to 51.
The event was witnessed by the executives of the party, including Mr Frederick G. Asante, a member of the Council of State representing the Eastern Region; the NPP Eastern Regional Chairman, Mr Yaw Amoabeng Gyekye, and his secretary, Mr Alecs Agobo.
Earlier in an address, Mr Gyekye admonished the rank and file of the party to demonstrate political maturity and unite to enable the party to win the Suhum seat.
In his opinion, since the former President, Mr J. J. Rawlings, still had a strong influence within the opposition NDC and was bent on hunting the top hierarchy of the NPP government should the NDC win back power, NPP members should put aside their differences and help to elect a new parliamentary candidate whom they could rally behind in order to win the seat in the area.
The first primary, which was held at Adideso, near Suhum ,on May 20, 2008, ended in confusion over the eligibility of seven polling station chairmen from Nankese, the second largest town in the constituency, to vote.
The seven, who were among the 102 delegates present to vote at the primary, were said to have no voting rights.
This was because they, as delegates, failed to be elected as chairpersons of their respective polling stations in the last constituency election of the party, a situation that is against the party’s national executive ruling that makes it mandatory that the electoral college should consist of only those who had been elected as chairpersons of their polling stations.
To ensure a peaceful election, the second primary had to be held on a neutral ground at Koforidua, but it also ended in confusion when Mr Acheampong led his supporters to disrupt the event.
Owing to a resolution that was passed by the executives of the party, the seven polling station chairmen, said to be in the camp of the incumbent MP, were allowed to exercise their voting right at Wednesday’s primary.
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