Twenty Parliamentary Aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who have filed to contest in the seven orphan constituencies will be vetted by the Eastern Regional Executive Committee on Elections on Tuesday.
This follows the directive issued by the National Executive Committee of the party, which has scheduled the conduct of its Extraordinary Constituency Delegates Conference for Saturday, 2nd December 2023, to elect the Party’s parliamentary candidates in constituencies where the party has no parliamentary representation (i.e. Orphan Constituencies).
In the Eastern Region for instance, the Vetting Committee will be chaired by the National Organiser of the party, Henry Nana Boakye, Nana Obiri Boahen, former deputy General Secretary, and Jennifer Oforiwaa Appiah, a communication team member including the Regional Executives where they will vet the aspirants except for Upper Manya Krobo where only one candidate contested and Yilo -Krobo which has been put onhold.
According to the Eastern Regional Director of Elections for a party, Oteng Adu, the vetting will take place in Koforidua, the Regional capital on Tuesday, 14th November, 2023 where all the aspirants will be vetted.
He said the party has already acclaimed that candidate for the Yilo-Krobo Parliamentary seat hence they won’t conduct any elections there.
In all, three women and 18 men have been penciled down to be vetted on the ticket of the party in the eight orphan constituencies such as Ayensuano – 5, Akwatia – 3, Lower Manya Krobo – 3, Asuogyaman – 4, Afram Plains South- 2, Afram Plains North– 2, Yilo Krobo -1 and Upper Manya Krobo – 1 respectively.
Interestingly the former Members of Parliament for Ayensuano, Upper Manya Krobo, and Akwatia constituencies respectively, Samuel Ayeh-Paye, Joseph Tetteh, aka Joe Tee, and Mercy Adu-Gyamfi aka Ama Sey have filed to contest the seat which was snatched by the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2016 general elections with its Parliamentary Candidate for Upper Manya Krobo Joseph Tetteh made history by winning the Krobo Constituency seat which has been a preserve of the NDC since 1992.
The NPP snatched the seat from the NDC MP, Jeff Tetteh Kavianu, with 13,920 votes as against 10,544 votes.
But the NPP victory was shortlived as the seat was lost to the NDC, in the 2020 general elections.
However, the former MP has rescinded his decision not to contest the upcoming parliamentary primaries again as he solely picked the forms to run unopposed.
The former MP, Samuel Ayeh-Paye, for Ayensuano, who gave the NPP traditional seat to the opposition National Democratic Congress, Teddy Saforo Addi in the 2020 parliamentary elections with 19,211 representing 47.3% against 18,970 representing 46.7% out of the 54,191 registered voters has staged a comeback.
Mr Ayeh–Paye will be contesting with four others namely, businesswoman; Ida Adjoa Asiedu, Addo Kwasi, the Deputy Minister for Tourism, Mark Okraku Mantey, and Boateng Adonai Kinglesy.
In the Akwatia for instance, the former MP, Mercy Adu-Gyamfi, who lost her second chance to contest as the parliamentary candidate for the area, will contest with Ernest Kumi, a former parliamentary candidate, and Obeng Danquah.
-BY Daniel Bampoe