Near free-for-all at NPP vetting venue
The timely intervention of the former Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr S. K. Boafo, prevented a near free-for-all fight outside the Noks Hotel at Asokwa, Kumasi, one of the four vetting venues for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary hopefuls in Kumasi.
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It all started when some known serial callers of the party in Kumasi openly accused and hurled insults at the First Vice Chairman of the party in the Asante Akyem North Constituency, Mr Nimo Aikins, for secretly recording the conversation of some party leaders.
Unable to contain the torrential insults and accusation that he (Mr Aikins) was the brain behind a secret tape recording which alleged that one of the candidates had vowed to use all means to prevent other aspirants from contesting the Asante Akyem North slot of the NPP, he fired back at his accusers who included one popularly known ‘Think Five’ member and serial caller.
The exchanges were moved a notch higher when the two, with their supporters, started throwing chairs and other materials at one another.
When the exchanges as well as the noise got to the vetting team, Mr Asante got out and urged the feuding factions to hold fire and smoke the peace pipe.
In all, 138 aspirants vying to become parliamentary candidates will be vetted within the three days.
They include 11 females and 127 males locking horns for the 47 parliamentary slots in the region.
Seven aspirants
Already, seven of the aspirants, who are incumbent Members of Parliament (MP), if cleared, will be contesting unopposed. This is because no one was contesting them at the time nominations closed.
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Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Regional Secretary of the NPP, Mr Sam Payne, said three other constituencies had been asked to hold on with the process until various problems associated with the individual constituencies were resolved.
The lucky seven contesting unopposed are the MP for Manhyia North, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh; MP for Offinso North, Mr Collins Ntim; MP for Ejura Sekyere Odumase, Mohammed Salisu Bamba; MP for Old Tafo Pankrono, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei; MP for Ahafo Ano South West, John Kwaku Adu; and MP for Afigya Kwabre North, William Owuraku Aidoo.
Vetting
The vetting will ascertain the eligibility of the candidates to become members of Parliament.
The three-day vetting would ascertain if the people had met the requirements.
Constitutionally, the qualification of a person aspiring to enter into Parliament is explicitly enshrined in the 1992 Republican Constitution, Article 94, which states among others that:
(1) Subject to the provisions of this article, a person shall not be qualified to be a Member of Parliament unless -
(a) He is a citizen of Ghana, has attained the age of twenty-one and is a registered voter;
(b) He is resident in the constituency for which he stands as a candidate for election to Parliament or has resided there for a total period of not less than five years out of the ten years immediately preceding the election for which he stands, or he hails from that constituency.