Party faithfuls lament preferential treatment of Andrew Asiamah allies
NPP repaint Fomena Constituency office with party traditional colors
Felix Kwakye Ofosu, an aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, has made a joke out of the decision by some irate youth of New Patriotic Party in Fomena to paint the constituency office with colors of political rival, NDC.
Tensions have heightened in the Fomena Constituency over what aggrieved NPP members say is the attempt to impose the second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah, as the party's Parliamentary candidate for the 2024 general elections.
They have also lamented the sale of forms to persons affiliated with Mr. Asiamah.
To register their displeasure, the irate youths demonstrated on Monday whiles dancing to the campaign songs of 2020 NDC flagbearer John Dramani Mahama.
They went on to paint the party office with the white, green, red, and black colours of the NDC while threatening to join NDC.
Commenting on the development, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu posted on Facebook, “Fomena rebranding,” with a picture of the 'rebranded' office.
Background
It will be recalled that the NPP in the lead up to the 2020 elections wrote to then-Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Ocquaye, to declare the Fomena seat vacant as the MP, Andrew Asiamah, served notice to contest the 2020 elections as an independent candidate.
“The Member of Parliament for the Fomena Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Amoako Andrew Asiamah, who was elected to parliament on the ticket of the Party, has filed to contest as an Independent Parliamentary Candidate,” NPP General Secretary, John Boadu said in a statement.
“By so doing, he has presumably vacated his seat in Parliament pursuant to Article 97(1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic,” the statement added.
Professor Aaron Mike Ocquaye consequently granted the request of the NPP.
Mr. Asiamah against all odds contested the seat as an independent candidate and won.
His decision to join the all NPP MP side in the current Parliament made allowed them to form the Majority Group in the hung 8th Parliament.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, stated that he became the saviour of the NPP even though he was treated like a demon.
Leading Member of the NPP, Gabby Otchere-Darko, has advised the party against fielding a candidate against Mr. Asiamah in the parliamentary primaries.
“Any campaign to field a candidate against the independent Fomena MP by the NPP will only expose the party as sometimes getting it all twisted regarding why we are in politics in the first place. We can’t behave as if internal democracy, limited to delegates, is an end to itself.
“We like it and patronise it because it serves as the best means to test the acceptability and popularity of a candidate for the ultimate race: general elections.
“In other words, the whole idea of having parliamentary primaries is to choose a candidate who is acceptable by the constituents (including the generality of party supporters) to represent the party in Parliament.
“You deselected him when he was the NPP MP, he ran as an independent and still beat the official party candidate in the next general elections. Not only that. In this parliament of 137-137, it is he who tilts the balance of power to your side.
"What else can seriously matter in this equation? We are not in politics to ultimately contest against ourselves but to win to govern for all,” he wrote on his social media timeline.
File Photo: The 'rebranded' NPP Fomena office