Justin Frimpong Kodua
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has issued a statement debunking claims made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the NPP was seeking to illegally insert an unqualified candidate into the Voters Register of the Assin North Constituency.
According to the NDC, the NPP had colluded with the Electoral Commission to transfer the name of an unqualified candidate to the Assin North register.
But the NPP responded by stating that it has no Parliamentary Candidate for Assin North, and that the Party is yet to hold Parliamentary Primary in the constituency.
The NPP also highlighted that a candidate does not need to be registered in the constituency they wish to contest to be viable, but only need to be a registered voter and hail from the constituency they are seeking to contest.
The NPP reassured Ghanaians that it is committed to upholding and defending the 1992 Constitution and urged the public to disregard the NDC’s baseless allegations.
“The NPP emphatically debunks the allegations that the Party “is in a plot to illegally insert the name of an unqualified NPP Parliamentary Candidate into the Assin North Register”. Over the years, the NPP has worked hard to maintain its enviable position – as the pacesetter of multiparty democracy in Ghana, which includes the strengthening of independent democratic institutions of State like the Electoral Commission. As such, we cannot be the Party that would engage in any acts that , would jeopardize the nation’s democratic gains.
“The NPP has no Parliamentary Candidate for Assin North. As publicly advertised, the Party is yet to hold Parliamentary Primary in the Assin North Constituency to elect the Party’s Parliamentary Candidate for the by-election. It therefore beggars belief how the NDC is able to determine our Parliamentary Candidate ahead of time, i and to suggest that we are plotting with the EC to illegally insert his name in the Assin North register.
“Since the NDC is deficient in their appreciation of Ghana’s electoral laws, we wish to give them some education on the relevant aspects of the law. Their claim that the NPP is seeking to transfer the name of a registered voter to the Assin North register to qualify him to contest in the parliamentary by-election actually betrays the NDC’s appreciation of Article 94(1)(a) of the 1992 Constitution. Article 94(1)(a) does not require a parliamentary candidate to be registered in the constituency they wish to contest to be viable,” according to the NPP.
The NPP said it is focused on selecting a qualified and capable candidate to represent the good people of Assin North in the upcoming byelection.
Signed by Richard Ahiagbah, the Director of Communications, the NPP’s statement aimed to set the record straight and clarify any misunderstandings caused by the NDC’s claims.
The NPP emphasized its commitment to maintaining Ghana’s position as a leader in multiparty democracy.
The party assured Ghanaians that they are committed to upholding and defending the 1992 Constitution, and challenged the NDC to focus on selecting a candidate who carries no legal baggage for the Assin North by-election.
By Vincent Kubi