The leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the Eastern Region has denied allegations made by former Member of Parliament for Upper Manya Krobo, Hon. Jeff Tetteh Kavianu, that his attempts to submit forms were unsuccessful.
The former legislator, Jeff Tetteh Kavianu claims that the constituency office where he was supposed to present his forms has been deliberately locked since Monday, with executives refusing to respond to phone calls.
However, the NDC’s Regional Secretary, Baba Jamal Konneh, said that the party has no intention of barring any aspirant from running for a position.
“The NDC needs power, and so we don’t want a situation where someone will feel that we treated him unfairly. We want that kind of unity and cohesion to wrestle power from the NPP so we are actually trying our best. We have entreated every constituency election committee to treat every aspirant fairly without trying to be biased.”
Baba Jamal Konneh
He also stated that if the former lawmaker so desires, he may seek intervention at the national level.
“The party has a hierarchy, so he can go to national executives and talk to them. We work on the instructions of national, so if they ask us to take his forms we will because we have no option… We are here to serve everybody.”
Baba Jamal Konneh
Constituency Executives Refuse To Accept Nomination Forms Of Aspirant
Meanwhile, The Parliamentary aspirant of the National Democratic Congress in the Upper Manya Krobo constituency, Hon. Jeff Tetteh Kavianu, accused the Constituency and some Regional Executives of the party, for their refusal to accept his nomination forms in both the constituency and Regional levels.
Hon. Jeff Tetteh Kavianu, former Member of Parliament for Upper Manya Krobo, seeking to contest the incumbent NDC MP, picked his nomination forms earlier this year but was unable to file it, due to what he described as foul play by the Constituency Executives.
But shockingly, the Parliamentary hopeful revealed that, several attempts made to submit his nomination forms to both the Constituency Office and the Region Office, have proved futile, despite the directives by the party’s leadership that nomination forms should be submitted within 20th and 22nd March, 2023.
Speaking to the media at the party’s Regional office in Koforidua after the second attempt to submit his nomination forms had falied, Hon. Jeff Tetteh Kavianu accused the NDC Upper Manya Krobo Constituency Executives, as well as the Regional Secretary, of a deliberate attempt to sideline him from contesting the incumbent Member of Parliament. Hence, their failure to open the party office to receive his nomination forms.
According to him, after the incumbent MP submitted his forms on Sunday 19th March, 2023 the Upper Manya Krobo Constituency Office, has since not been opened for other parliamentary aspirants to also do same.
He lamented that the Constituency Executives after locking up the Constituency Office, refused to respond to his calls. Therefore, he was instructed by the Regional Secretary to submit to the Regional Office but upon reaching the Regional Office on Wednesday 22nd March, 2023, the same Regional Secretary not present at the office, instructed the administrators on mobile phone not to receive the forms.
He showed evidence of copies of his already filed nomination forms, which indicated that he had successfully gone through the processes, of which 94 out of 114 branch members have endorsed. This represented 80%, instead of the stipulated 50% requirement by the party.
Hon. Jeff Tetteh Kavianu, on the bases of what transpired, described the actions of the Constituency Executives as undemocratic. He however called on the leadership of the party; the National Chairman and the General Secretary, to immediately intervene to ensure that fairness prevail to prevent any possible future disunity in the party in Upper Manya Krobo.
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