Three parties to contest Gomoa East by-election

THREE political parties have filed their nominations to contest the Gomoa East parliamentary by-election scheduled for April 8.

The parties are the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and the Democratic People’s Party (DPP).

The other political parties, namely, the People’s National Convention (PNC), the EGLE Party and the Convention People’s Party (CPP) failed to register any candidate for the polls by the close of nominations on March 12.

No tangible reasons have been given by the parties for their inability to put up candidates to contest the by-election which has become necessary following the death of the Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Emmanuel Acheampong, in a lorry accident on the Agona Swedru-Winneba Road.

According to the Gomoa District Electoral Officer, Mr Frank Nunoo, the candidates who filed their nomination papers with the Electoral Commission (EC) are , Messrs Richmond Sam Quarm, a 41-year-old accountant, for the NPP; Richard Kojo Annan, 59, a clerk, for the NDC, and Evans Kofi Otoo, 45, a teacher , DPP.

Mr Annan, who is a retired Warrant Officer of the Ghana Armed Forces, contested on the ticket of the NDC in the 2000 parliamentary election and lost to the deceased MP. Mr Nunoo said the NDC candidate‘s picture and the party’s symbol will be first on the ballot paper, followed by those of the DPP and the NPP.

Meanwhile, functionaries of the NPP and the NDC are on a daily basis courting the support of the electorate in the constituency to vote for their respective candidates in the by-election.

The NPP has, for instance, put up an office at Gomoa Ekwamkrom and adorned electric poles from Gomoa Afransi through Gomoa Potsin to Gomoa Nyanyano in the party’s colours, while the NDC has also erected flags in the majority of communities in the district.

On the day for the filing of nominations, both the NPP and the NDC used loud speakers mounted on vehicles to introduce their candidates, who were in different convoys to members of the public who had lined up along the streets from Gomoa Ekwamkrom to Gomoa Afransi.