Allowing an incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) to contest parliamentary elections unopposed can have both advantages and potential dangers for a political party.
While it might signal party unity or confidence in the incumbent Member of Parliament, it can also pose risks to the party, particularly in instances where the incumbent Member of Parliament’s popularity is questionable.
For instance, without a competitive election, there is a risk of complacency among party members and the incumbent MP. The absence of competition may lead to a lack of accountability, as the MP might not feel the need to actively engage with constituents or address their concerns.
The New Patriotic Party after its Presidential Primaries on November 4 2023 has outlined mechanisms to conduct its parliamentary primaries to elect the party’s parliamentary candidates for the 2024 general elections.
The party is set to hold an extraordinary constituency delegates conference on Saturday, December 2, 2023, to elect its parliamentary candidates in constituencies where the party has no parliamentary representation and subsequently conduct parliamentary primaries in the 137 constituencies where it has sitting Members of Parliament on January 20 2024.
While the party has affirmed its decision not to allow any unopposed contest in its parliamentary primaries, a group of Polling Station Executives in the Nsawan Aduogyiri Constituency in the Eastern Region has kicked against what it described as a ‘clandestine’ attempt by the current Member of Parliament, Honorable Frank Annoh Dompreh to sidestep contest ahead of the party’s parliamentary primaries.
According to the group, it has made several attempts for the party leadership both in the constituency and the region to address the likely imposition of the current Member of Parliament on delegates in the Constituency, however, its effort has not yielded any fruitful result.
“Since last year, the Member of Parliament has been talking about contesting unopposed in the parliamentary primaries of the New Patriotic Party. He printed t-shirts, and it became a mantra in the constituency. All along, we thought it was just a ploy to discourage others from contesting; little did we know that he had a clandestine motive to force delegates to accept such an undemocratic practice”.
Group of Polling Station Executives in the Nsawan Adoagyiri Constituency
The group further accused the Nsawam Aduogyiri legislator, Frank Annoh Dompreh of persecuting members of the party in the constituency who criticized his conduct and further alleged that the MP even denied money which was supposed to be given to some delegates during the party’s November 4 Presidential primaries.
“Since the beginning of the year, those of us who have spoken against the unopposed have been tagged as enemies of the MP. He went as far as causing the suspension of eight delegates after severely insulting and threatening them. In addition, during the Presidential Primaries of the NPP, which saw H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia come out victorious, Frank Annoh Dompreh pocketed 400 cedi of 66 delegates given to him by Dr. Bawumia. Up to today, he has still not given the money to these 66 delegates”.
Group of Polling Station Executives in the Nsawan Adoagyiri Constituency
Group Predicts NPP Losing Nsawan Adoagyiri Constituency Seat
Moreover, the group of the New Patriotic Party Polling Station Executives lamented over the likelihood of the party losing the Nsawan Adoagyiri Constituency seat to the opposition National Democratic Congress if the current Member of Parliament, Mr Frank Annoh Dompreh is allowed to go unopposed in the party’s parliamentary primaries.
According to the group, the National Democratic Congress has appreciated its votes more than the New Patriotic Party in the parliamentary elections, particularly over the last two general elections.
The group noted that in the year 2016, the New Patriotic Party recorded 27,159 votes which was increased by 7, 269 in 2020 to 34,428 while the National Democratic Congress which recorded 18,888 votes in 2016, increased its votes by 12,298 to 31,186 in 2020.
“We want to use this opportunity to let Ghanaians and the leadership of the NPP know that Frank Annoh-Dompreh and his associates have destroyed the NPP in the constituency and that if he is not contested and a new leadership emerges to represent the party on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party, we will lose the seat to the NDC in 2024”.
Group of Polling Station Executives in the Nsawan Adoagyiri Constituency
From the above corresponding figures by the group, it is obvious that the New Patriotic Party risks losing the Nsawan Adoagyiri seat with any little division within the party or apathy among the party’s supporters in the constituency.
Therefore, while there can be strategic reasons for the party to support an incumbent without opposition, the party needs to weigh the potential dangers against the benefits.
A balance between party unity and fostering a healthy, competitive democratic process is critical for the long-term success of the party in the constituency.
Coming events, they say ‘cast their shadows before them’. The revulsion of some Polling Station Executives in the Nsawan Aduogyiri Constituency might be the early days sign of a looming danger for the New Patriotic Party in the 2024 general elections.
READ ALSO: Mahama Pledges To Investigate Techiman South Election 2020 Shootings
