O.B. Amoah, Minister of State at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development (MLGDRD), and the Member of Parliament for Akwapim South constituency in the Eastern Region, has asserted that the NPP possesses the legal means to prevent Alan Kyerematen from running as an independent candidate in the upcoming elections, asaaradio.com reports.
Amoah cited Article 13 (7) (f) of the NPP constitution, which outlines the party's rules for presidential candidate elections.
According to him, candidates who file nomination forms for the party's presidential primaries must sign an undertaking.
He stressed that Alan Kyerematen, along with the other nine candidates who submitted their nominations for the party's primaries, signed this undertaking willingly.
Therefore, he added, the party has the authority to restrain anyone who chooses to disregard the signed commitment.
Amoah suggested that if the NPP decides to take legal action against Kyerematen, he is confident that the party will obtain an injunction to prohibit him from participating in the 2024 elections as an independent candidate.
In the event that Kyerematen alleges that his decision to take this path is a result of specific actions or inactions by the party or its leadership, he may be required to provide evidence of his claims in court.
Kyerematen, in a press conference held on September 25, 2023, announced his resignation from the NPP and the establishment of the "Movement for Change."
He revealed his intention to contest the December 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections as an independent candidate, represented by the butterfly symbol.
Alan Kyerematen initially filed his nomination to contest the NPP presidential primaries on June 19, 2023.
After participating in the party's special electoral college polls on August 26, 2023, where he secured 95 votes and ranked third, he was shortlisted as one of five candidates for the main presidential primaries scheduled for November 4, 2023.
However, he withdrew from the race on September 5, 2023, through a press statement.
What Article 13 (7) (f) of the NPP constitution says:
“no member shall be entitled to nomination as the party’s presidential candidate unless he or she has signed the undertaking for presidential aspirants.'
"The undertaking signed by the candidates’ states that 'persons who express, or indicate their interest to contest in the party’s presidential primaries and file their nomination forms, shall not offer themselves as independent candidates and they shall not under any circumstances be in breach of the undertaking.
“in the event of the breach of the undertaking, the New Patriotic Party reserves the right to restraint any candidate from contesting as an independent candidate or as a candidate on the ticket of any other party”.
"This undertaking explicitly states that those who express interest in contesting in the party's presidential primaries and file nomination forms shall not present themselves as independent candidates and shall not, under any circumstances, breach this undertaking.
"Furthermore, the undertaking grants the NPP the right to restrain any candidate who violates this commitment from running as an independent candidate or on another party's ticket.”
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O.B. Amoah, Minister of State at the Ministry of Local Government