The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Akuapem South Parliamentary primary, which had been scheduled for Saturday, January 27, 2024, has been pushed up to later because of a standoff between local Municipal Chief Executive Frank Aidoo and incumbent member of parliament Osei Bonsu Amoah.
The decision was made in “response to petitions received, accompanied by recommendations from both the constituency executive committee and the regional executive committee,” according to a statement released by Justin Kodua Frimpong, the General Secretary of the party.
The MCE, Frank Aidoo, claimed in a petition filed by the Akuapem South Constituency Executive that incumbent MP, OB Amoah, was being prevented from running to give his aide an unfair advantage. Aidoo requested that the National Executive Committee investigate the claim.
Declaring he will not run for reelection, the incumbent declined to select new candidates during the party’s opening parliamentary nominations.
The Municipal Chief Executive chose the nomination forms and then submitted them to the party’s regional office in Koforidua. He also included a petition requesting permission from the party to enter the race in the event that the incumbent Member of Parliament withdrew. This was done despite the party’s constitutional requirement that MMDCEs who wish to run in districts where sitting MPs are running do so two years prior to the nomination period opening.
But after the MCE selected and submitted his candidacy, the current U-Turn MP went to select the forms, and his assistant Apeadu Eric also selected to run.
As a result, the Elections Vetting Committee disqualified the MCE during his vetting, and OB Amoah, the sitting MP, was permitted to run in the election alongside his aide Eric Apeadu, Kwame Ofori Gyawu, and Samuel Annor Mensah, all of whom would fiercely compete for the seat that Amoah has held for four terms in a row.
Surprisingly this week, OB Amoah abruptly withdrew from the campaign, allowing his rivals—aside from the MCE—to continue on.
Frank Aidoo, the MCE, revived his petition at the party headquarters following OB Amoah’s withdrawal, and he anticipates being granted permission to run for office.
Given these circumstances, the NPP’s Tony Osei-Agyei, Eastern Regional Secretary, stated that the party will think about include MCE Frank Aidoo in the primary that is set at a later time.
