The NPP youth addressing the media
The youth of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ahanta West Constituency of the Western Region have issued a stern warning to the constituency chairman of the party not to interfere in the selection of a district chief executive (DCE) for the Ahanta West District.
According to the angry youth, information they gathered indicated that the area’s NPP chairman, Jonathan Ayepah Amoah, allegedly used clandestine means to add the name of his relative, one Henrietta Eyeson, to the three shortlisted to be presented to the president for consideration.
The NPP youth mentioned the names of the three shortlisted for the position after their vetting as Kwesi Asobenyah Buah, the constituency secretary; John Agyare, second vice chairman and John Yankey, a former parliamentary candidate for the area.
“The name of Madam Henrietta Eyeson was not part of the list. But a reliable source has told us that the constituency chairman allegedly included the name of his relative to the final list,” the youth claimed.
Addressing a press conference at Agona-Nkwanta, the spokesperson for the youth, Ezekiel Quarcoe, accused the chairman of attempting to impose his preferred candidate on the district, and warned of its dire consequences.
He explained that after failing to win the last parliamentary primary of the NPP in the constituency, Mdama Eyeson went to her base in Kumasi and never contributed to the campaign and subsequent victory of the party in the area.
“This attempt to impose a candidate on the constituents will definitely be a recipe for chaos in the constituency,” he asserted.
He appealed to President Akufo-Addo to appoint a DCE who has the development of the area at heart, adding that all the three shortlisted were grass root party members who did all they could to manage the Ahanta West District.
Chairman Reacts
Commenting on the allegations, the constituency chairman, Mr Ayepah, indicated that initially the criteria were given to the constituency executives for the selection of interested persons for the position of DCE.
He indicated that some disgruntled party members started raising issues with the method of selection.
“And so the party decided to make it open to anyone who was interested to apply. The nine who applied in the constituency went for vetting and as far as I am aware, three people were shortlisted to the president for consideration,” he pointed out.
He therefore, assured the people of Ahanta West, particularly NPP activists, that President Nana Akufo-Addo would make the right choice adding, “We are ready to work with any one the president will choose for the position of DCE in Ahanta West.”
From Emmanuel Opoku, Agona-Nkwanta