Deputy General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged members of the party to stop attacking NPP parliamentarians who have decided to stand as independent candidates in the upcoming elections on December 7.
He said attacking these defectors was bad and unnecessary.
“I am advising the NPP people not harass, intimidate or bully them,” he said.
His comments follow the controversy that has been generated by the decision of the Member of Parliament for Fomena Constituency, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, to contest the upcoming elections as an independent candidate.
Some party members have called him ungrateful and used strong words against him over the MP’s decision.
The General Secretary of the party, John Boadu, has also written to Parliament to inform the House that the MP is no more a member of the party.
But Obiri Boahen told GhanaWeb that there was no need for that.
“You see, once you decide to contest as an independent candidate by law, you cease to be a member of the NPP; automatically. And so you don’t even need the General Secretary to write to Parliament to notify them. If you write to Parliament to tell them, it is even being superfluous,” he said.
“The impression should also not be created that leadership of the party has failed because they should have sat them down. We did our best but still, they decided to go independent,” he added.
He said in some cases, some of these MPs have been impressed upon to stand down from their decisions but have insisted on going independent.
“With all the pleas, exhortations and prayers if they have decided to go independent let them wish them well. Good riddance. But we should not be seen as intimidating and harassing their supporters.
“Because it could well be that in the future, they will come back to us,” he said.
He said the party should adopt the policy of the Roman Catholic Church which does not fight its members or priests for leaving the church.
“If you are a priest in the Catholic Church and you decide to break away from them, the church will not expel you. The Catholic Church will tell you that once a Catholic always a Catholic. The NPP supporters should look at it from that angle and stop trading insults with MP candidates who decide to go independent,” he advised.
Nana Obiri Boahen is NPP Deputy General Secretary