Politics of Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Source: Daily Guide
Some New Patriotic Party (NPP) activists in Tema West are unhappy with the machinations of some party executives who are supervising polling station elections.
The party activists accused the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema West, Irene Naa Torshie-Addo of allegedly influencing the Election Committee, which was set up by the party to supervise the Mount Zion A and B election in the Dzata-Bu Electoral Area at Community Three, Tema, to facilitate the election of her loyalists.
According to reports, some party members were allowed to go unopposed in the Mount Zion A polling station election.
Others who decided to contest at Mount Zion A were asked to take part in the Mount Zion B polling station election.
However, irate activists at Mount Zion B rejected the members at Mount Zion A.
The uneasy calm in the party in the area as a result of the development led to the postponement of the last Sunday’s polling station election in the area.
They have, therefore, called on regional and national executives of the party, as well as party elders, to encourage the MP to adhere to modalities set out by the party in the conduct the elections.
The modalities covered compilation of polling station registers at all polling stations, validation of the registers by constituency and regional executives at the polling station and purchase of nomination forms by interested card bearing polling station members.
An activist of the party, who pleaded anonymity, told DAILY GUIDE that after the NPP headquarters declared the modalities, they convened a meeting and asked interested members to make their names available, but some card-bearing members of the party, who regularly attended the meetings, had their names deleted from the party’s list.
The party member also noted that some members who registered at Mount Zion A polling station switched with members from Mount Zion B, compelling a certain Gifty Arku to send a petition to the party to suspend the election.
The petition by Gifty Arku did not reach the appropriate quarters, according to reports.
The party members have therefore called on the hierarchy of the party to immediately conduct the polling station election at the Dzata-Bu Electoral Area, noting that they would advise themselves if the party executives do not ensure sanity.