A former Constituency Chairman aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Suhum in the Eastern Region, Nana Asare Kwasi Okata, has urged the National Executive body of the party to establish rules that will prevent members from contesting as Independent Candidates when they lose Party primaries, especially incumbent Members of Parliament.
This call comes on the heels of recent decisions by some Members of Parliament who lost the party primaries and are now contesting as Independent Candidates.
Nana Okata believes that this trend has the potential to divide the party and undermine its chances of winning the upcoming elections.
Nana Okata made this statement when he donated megaphones to the Suhum Constituency to be used for campaigning.
He also urged party members to put aside their differences and work together to break the political 8year cycle.
The donation was received by the Constituency Secretary, Stephen Odame, who expressed gratitude to Nana Okata for his kind gesture.
Nana Okata’s call for rules to prevent independent candidacy is not new.
In recent years, there have been several instances where NPP members who lost primaries have gone on to contest as Independent Candidates, often splitting the party’s vote and leading to losses.
In 2016, for example, several NPP members who lost primaries contested as Independent Candidates, leading to the party losing some seats.
Nana Okata believes that the party can avoid such losses by establishing clear rules that prevent members from contesting as Independent Candidates when they lose primaries.
“We need to work together to break the political 8year cycle,” Nana Okata said.
“We can’t afford to have our members contesting against each other. It’s time for us to put aside our differences and work towards a common goal” he added.
The Suhum Constituency, which is the stronghold of the NPP, is considered a key battleground in the upcoming elections, and Nana Okata’s call for unity and his donation of megaphones is seen as a move to boost the party’s chances in the constituency.
BY Daniel Bampoe