Ernest Yaw Anim has been declared winner of the internal election organised by the New Patriotic Party in the Kumawu constituency ahead of the by-election scheduled for May 23, 2023.
Mr. Anim polled 195 votes to beat his closest contender, Ama Serwaa, and three others. In his acceptance speech, he pledged to resolve the differences among party members in the constituency to ensure the NPP retains the Kumawu Parliamentary seat in the upcoming by-election.
The New Patriotic Party held its primaries to select a candidate for the by-election after the Kumawu parliamentary seat was declared vacant following the demise of the sitting Member of Parliament, Philip Basoah. The leadership of the NPP says it is poised to retain the parliamentary seat as the party will begin a campaign in earnest ahead of the by-election.
Prior to this, the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua requested the police to arrest delegates who took pictures of their ballot after voting in the party’s parliamentary primaries in the Kumawu Constituency.
Mr. Kodua denied reports that the party and the aspirants are doling out money to delegates who are taking part in the voting process. He accused the National Democratic Congress of peddling falsehoods regarding the NPP’s primaries.
The NPP general secretary equally alleged that some elements from the NDC are taking advantage of the primaries to share monies with delegates with intentions to tarnish the image of the NPP. To address this, he ensured that before the official start of voting both the aspirants and delegates pledge their loyalty to the process.
Both the aspirants and delegates pledged to accept the outcome of the voting whichever way it goes. The aspirants also pledged not to opt out as independent candidates if the outcome does not go in their favor.
Additionally, the delegates were also made to pledge that they will support any candidate who will emerge winner and will actively take part in all campaign activities ahead of the by-election. In all, about 420 delegates took part in the election.
Two of the aspirants, Philip Bannor and Edward Kofi Osei, prior to declaring intentions to contest, held dual citizenship and could not renounce it to enable them to go through the process.
NPP committed to unity
Ahead of the poll, NPP National Organizer, Henry Nana Boakye, stated that the party was certain the NPP will be more united than before. He also highlighted the party’s stance on holders of dual citizenship seeking to contest as Parliamentary Candidates.
“We have met all the leaders from the various factions, and I have had calls that the various factions were collaborating to ensure peace in the Kumawu constituency, and we hope we’ll come out united after this exercise. We were of the view that the party in the diaspora contributes enormously to our development so, of what benefits will it be especially for the party if you have an aspirant who holds dual citizenship and contest and loses?
“So, we were of the view that it will be double jeopardy losing both the citizenship and the primaries, so we said the person can contest if he holds dual citizenship and takes considerable steps to renounce the citizenship after winning the primaries.”
Henry Nana Boakye
It will be recalled that in March this year, the Member of Parliament for Kumawu in the Ashanti Region, Philip Atta Basoah died. Family sources who confirmed his death stated that he died on Tuesday, March 28, at the age of 53 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Philip Atta Basoah was missing in parliament on Friday, March 24, 2023, during a critical vote to confirm ministerial appointees of President Akufo-Addo and neither his Personal Assistant nor anyone close to him knew his whereabouts until his room was forcibly opened, only to find him collapsed.
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