The Ashanti Regional branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has summoned the party’s Member of Parliament (MP) for Bantama, Henry Kwabena Kokofu to a crunch meeting.
The party invited Mr Kokofu following reports that the legislator, who lost the primary, is contesting for the Bantama seat as an independent candidate.
Daniel Okyem Aboagye, in June 2015, polled 225 votes to beat Mr Kokofu who had 289 votes in a keenly contested parliamentary primary.
Sam Pyne, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NPP, told DAILY GUIDE that the party’s leadership in the region was concerned about the reports.
He said the party had therefore summoned Mr Kokofu to a meeting to enable him confirm or deny the reports.
Mr Pyne said the Bantama MP, who is currently in Germany, is expected back home on Thursday to meet the leadership of the party in the region.
He told DAILY GUIDE that unless Mr Kokofu officially resigns from the party, speculations that he has quit the NPP to run as independent candidate should be disregarded.
“Hon. Kokofu is still a proud member of the NPP so I urge the party members to be calm and let’s concentrate on campaigning hard to win the elections,” he said.
According to him, Mr Kokofu, a former NPP constituency chairman, has contributed immensely towards the growth of the party over the years.
“I doubt that he will resign from the party to contest as independent candidate.”
Mr Pyne said names of people submitted to the Electoral Commission (EC) as independent parliamentary candidates are just provisional so nobody should jump to conclusion.
I’m Not US Citizen
Meanwhile, Daniel Okyem Aboagye, the parliamentary candidate of the NPP in Bantama, has denied reports that he is a US citizen.
Addressing NPP supporters during the campaign launch of the Kwadaso Constituency on Sunday, Mr. Okyem Aboagye stated that he holds US Green Card, stressing that “I am not a US citizen as being speculated. I am a proud Ghanaian and loyal NPP member, therefore I am qualified to contest as Bantama MP on ticket of the NPP in December.”
He stated that he would organize a press conference on Tuesday to throw more light on the issue.
According to him, he would produce the requisite documents to buttress his point and shame those who were peddling falsehood.
The programme, which was dubbed the People’s Forum, was broadcast live on Ashh FM, which is owned by Kennedy Agyepong, an NPP guru.
Mr. Okyem Aboagye urged his supporters to remain calm and continue to campaign vigorously to help the NPP to win more votes in Bantama to ensure that Nana Akufo-Addo becomes president.
From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi