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General News of Friday, 5 May 2006

Source: Chronicle

NPP In "Amoateng U-Turn?"?

...wants Amoateng?s seat declared vacant
... what happened to Innocent until ....

THE BRONG Ahafo Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Buahen, has requested that lawyers of the Nkoranza North constituency Member of Parliament (MP), Hon. Eric Amoateng, who is currently facing drug charges, to prevail on their client, to resign from his post as the representative of the people in Parliament.

This, he noted, would pave way for the leadership of the House to declare the seat vacant and allow the Electoral Commission (EC) to conducted a by-election in the constituency to elect a new MP.

According to him, since nobody knows how long the trial of the MP would take, it is untenable and unfair for Ghanaians, and in particular the people of the area, to wait till the case is decided by the US Court of jurisprudence.

Speaking to Hello FM, a local radio station in Kumasi on its political programme ? ?Bohobio?, the NPP regional Chairman said there was no way the opposition NDC could snatch the seat from their hands and assured the party of victory, should a by-election be conducted one of these days.

His comment follows an assertion by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Constituency Secretary for Nkoranza North, Mr. Kofi Adu, that the ruling party had adopted several ?tricks? in its desire to win the likely imminent by-election in the constituency.

Addressing a press conference in Sunyani as reported, the NDC scribe had alleged that even though the seat had not been officially declared vacant for a by-election to be announced, there was evidence that NPP had already begun campaigning across the length and breadth of the constituency, but Nana Buahen dismissed this.

He however stated that the views expressed were only his personal opinion and not necessarily those of the party.

Nearly six months ago, Amoateng was arrested and subsequently put behind bars, following his alleged involvement in peddling narcotic drugs in USA. His constituency had since not been represented in parliament, and the opposition NDC had been agitating for a bye-election to be conducted in the shortest possible time.