Tafo-Pankrono NPP polling elections set to face court injunction

Some polling station executives in the Tafo-Pankrono constituency are threatening to place a court injunction on the upcoming polling station elections.

Mr. Degraft Osei, polling station executive, speaking on behalf of the aggrieved party members in an interview with this reporter hinted that the election committee might face legal action if they fail to ensure a fair playing ground for every potential candidate.

According to the aggrieved party members, the Member of Parliament for the area, Vincent Ekow Asafuah and the Municipal Chief Executive for the area, Lord Inusah Lansah have conspired to prevent some executives from getting access to the forms.

Mr. Degraft Osei also indicated that while some people are finding it difficult to get their forms, the MP and the MCE are also keeping the forms for their favorite candidates.

He said they are sick and tired of this kind of elimination by such roughing tactics to prevent people from exercising their franchise in the party.

Tension has gripped many polling station executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) by many party faithful in the Ashanti region over their inability to obtain nomination forms to begin the party’s internal elections ahead of the crucial 2024 general election.

But since the nomination opened last Saturday, there have been suspicions and disturbances in some constituencies, as some aspirants accuse election committee members of not making the forms available for purchase.

This is against the background that some leading party executives are said to have paid for the forms to enable all aspirants interested in contesting to do so.

At a news conference to extend the deadline, the National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Freddie Blay, directed all polling station and electoral area executives to comply with the new directive, but the story is different from the Old Tafo Pankrono constituency.

He urged them not to deny any eligible candidate the nomination forms, adding that the party had made available adequate forms for all the 38,632 polling stations across the country to facilitate the smooth conduct of the exercise.

Mr Blay said the party leadership had been monitoring the exercise keenly and would not allow anyone to mar the exercise.

He also urged all party stalwarts who wanted to purchase the forms for aspirants to channel the money for the forms through the party headquarters.