A group of New Patriotic Party (NPP) members in the Jaman South constituency of the Bono Region have been accused of orchestrating the “skirt and blouse” phenomenon that led to the party losing the parliamentary seat to the NDC in the 2020 elections.
According to the constituency secretary, Samuel Obeng Takyi, the group is only desiring the attention of National Executives with their myriad of false allegations. He revealed that the reality is now dawning on them after they failed to use internal party avenues to resolve their concerns and campaigned against the party’s parliamentary candidate.
“These are people who plan lies and think that discerning minds would buy into it. They are the proponents, propagandists, and orchestrators of the ‘skirt and blouse’, and they are now looking for attention, which they are finding it difficult to get.”
Samuel Obeng Takyi
Mr Takyi stated that the elected constituency executives on the other hand, have the support of the rank and file of the party and would do everything possible to win the seat back for the NPP.
Commenting on the issue, Godfred Kwang, a leading member of the aggrieved group, at a recent press conference alleged that no Polling Station Executives, Electoral Area Coordinators, and Constituency Executives Elections were conducted in the Jaman South Constituency from January 2022 to date.
He further alleged that the elections committee secretly prepared and presented an album to the party headquarters, which they described as fictitious. Owing to this, he noted that this influenced their court actions and petitions to the party to intervene to halt the division in the constituency and boost their chances to recapture the seat they lost to the NDC.
Election of polling station executives
Reacting to this in a press conference in Drobo to respond to the allegations, the constituency executives, led by the secretary, Samuel Obeng Takyi, revealed that it is erroneous and inaccurate for one to suggest that there have not been any polling station and constituency executives’ elections in Jaman South.
He explained that the National Council of the party, after the back and forth, “sets up a new committee headed by Abdul Razak Oppong, the Bono Regional Youth Organizer, to organize the constituency delegates conference to elect constituency executives,” since the old committee had finished its work.
He further highlighted that the elections were held on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at Awasuman SHS, Dwenem, which ushered in the existing constituency officers.
Mr. Obeng Takyi noted that despite the aggrieved members urging certified delegates to stay away from the election, they still recorded a 94% voter turn-out.
He, however, admitted that the electoral commission, for “whatever reason,” could not supervise the elections as required, but said that should also not stall the activities of the party, citing some precedents in the region.
“The newly elected constituency officers and their appointees have taken part in both the regional and national executive elections to elect regional and national officers, respectively. What they (aggrieved members) seek to achieve is to create confusion and division in the party so that their other “skirt and blouse” collaborators can capitalize on the supposed division to run for independent candidate.”
Samuel Obeng Takyi
Following this, Mr Takyi called on the National Council of the Party to disregard the distractors and focus on the conduct of the upcoming parliamentary and presidential primaries to select winnable candidates to break the eight.
It will be recalled that in January this year, the Bono regional executive members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) pledged to regain the six parliamentary seats it lost in the previous polls come Election 2024.
The NPP lost the Wenchi, Jaman North, Dormaa West and Jaman South Constituency parliamentary seats to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the last elections.
The Bono regional chairman of the NPP, Mr Kwame Baffoe, indicated that the party executives had strategized and were working to recapture the seats and ensure presidential votes were widened in the next general election.
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