NPP ‘MP’ Fails Test

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CONTRARY TO allegations that some executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Tema West Constituency have been compromised, it has emerged that the man on whose behalf some polling station executives appear to be fighting, is not a party member in good standing.

Checks by *DAILY GUIDE* revealed that Dr. Elvis Ebenezer Donkor was disqualified from contesting the NPP primary in Tema West because there are questions about him that could embarrass the party.

Last Saturday, some NPP polling station executives staged a demonstration on behalf of Dr. Donkor against the party’s executives, accusing them of corruption and bias.

They claim the constituency’s election committee had favoured the incumbent, Irene Naa Torshie Addo, and disqualified Dr. Donkor in order for Irene Addo to contest the NPP primary unopposed.

In the process, Ekow Sey, spokesperson for the group, made allegations to the effect that Irene Addo had paid the NPP national executives GHc 48,000 to influence the disqualification of Dr. Donkor, but Mr. Sey could not substantiate the allegation.

Several calls to him to substantiate the allegation failed to yield answers as he was very dodgy.

Since then, Mr. Sey had been playing hide-and-seek with *DAILY GUIDE* as regards substantiating his allegations.

*DAILY GUIDE* investigation into the Tema West wrangling established that when the constituency’s election committee announced the date for the vetting, it set its investigative machinery to look into the backgrounds of all the prospective candidates for consideration.

Subsequently, a letter dated March 25, 2011 and signed by Gabriel Manu, the Metro Electoral Officer, Tema, titled: ‘Confirmation Of Voter ID Numbers And Party Agent List’, said “Dr. Elvis Donkor’s name cannot be traced in the S.O.S College with Polling Station Code C092204 at the Ottowa Electoral Area” as the applicant had allegedly claimed in his application forms.

The letter further said, “Hon. Irene Naa Torshie Addo is captured in our voter ID number 22276961 registered at Star Kindergaten Preparatory School C092204 at Kaizer Electoral Area.”

The NPP also wrote to the UK/Ireland branch of the party for confirmation of whether or not Dr. Donkor was a member of the branch in good standing and a message sent on April 2, 2011 by Hayford Atta-Krufi, Chairman of the overseas group, said Dr. Donkor was not a registered member and therefore he was not known to them.

“The gentleman may have been domiciled in the UK but while he was here, he neither joined nor visited NPP-UK. I can therefore state on authority that he is not a member of the NPP-UK and Ireland.”

The committee also cross-checked from the national headquarters of the Electoral Commission on April 5, 2011 and a response signed by Kwadwo Sarfo-Kantanka, Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations on April 7, 2011 indicated: “The voter ID purported to belong to one Elvis Donkor is not known to our database which has the particulars of all registered voters in the country. The name is, therefore, not on the register of the polling station from where it purports to originate.”

Dr. Donkor then petitioned regional secretariat of the party and was re-vetted on April 6, 2011, but he was again disqualified because of his alleged questionable credentials.

A letter signed by Ato Williams, Chairman of Regional Appeals Committee and copied to the national headquarters, said, “The committee finds that on the issue of five years’ residence as required by Article 94 (b) of the National constitution, you do not qualify, as records available to the committee are inconsistent with your contention of being a resident once you have a home in the constituency.

“The committee also finds that your explanation for not being a voter in the constituency was not convincing as your name does not appear to be on any record of the polling station you claim to have been working for.”

The committee also found that the ID card that Dr. Donkor tendered could not be validated, adding, “The committee therefore finds you not eligible to contest for the forthcoming Tema West parliamentary primary.”

Several attempts to talk to Dr. Donkor failed because he said he was attending a meeting at the NPP headquarters.