NPP
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has cleared 11 more aspirants for its upcoming parliamentary primaries in orphan constituencies.
The party had earlier disqualified the aspirants for various reasons. But at its meeting last Thursday, the National Executive Committee (NEC) considered, among other things, the reports of the party’s National Parliamentary Vetting Committees and National Appeals Committee on the status of various aspiring parliamentary candidates who filed nominations to contest in the party’s 2019 parliamentary primaries in orphan constituencies.
It was after extensive deliberations on the status of the various disqualified candidates that the decision was taken to clear the 11, according to a statement issued by John Boadu, General Secretary of the NPP.
The 11 aspirants are Betty Atsupe Gorleku from Ada Constituency; Clement Wilkinson, Amasaman Constituency; Alexander Amanor Narh-Gbeeku, Ashiaman Constituency; Harry Harold Quartey, Korle Klottey Constituency; Michael Nii Yarboi Amman, Odododiodioo Constituency and Nathaniel Nii Naatey Atswele Nartey.
The rest are Solomon Donkor, Juaboso Constituency; Alex Joseph Asuma, Binduri Constituency; Daniel Gariba, Buisa South Constituency; Abubakar Wuni, Bawku Central Constituency and Dr. Frank Yirenkye, Biakoye Constituency.
Meanwhile, the statement noted that “in respect of the aspiring parliamentary candidates from the Asawase Constituency and Ejura/Sekyeredumase Constituency – Manaf Ibrahim and Gifty Ndoma respectively – NEC took the position that the aspirants, both of whom were suspended by the Ashanti Regional Executive Committee for misconduct, should publicly apologize to the Ashanti Regional executives and to the party for their suspension to be reconsidered.”
It said NEC also considered the proposed modalities for the conduct of the party’s parliamentary primaries in constituencies where the NPP has sitting members of Parliament and tentatively set January 12, 2020 as the date for the conduct of the primaries pending ratification by the  National Council of the party. Nomination forms are to be sold for GH¢2,000, with filing fee pegged at GH¢20,000.
It added that aspirants who are not sitting MPs but wish to contest would pay GH¢30,000 as a development fee, making their total payment GH¢52,000 each.
For youth and persons with disability as well as women, they have been offered a 50 per cent discount of the total sum.
BY Melvin Tarlue