Politics of Friday, 17 January 2020
Source: Michael Oberteye, Contributor
2020-01-17
The primaries will be held on February 1, 2020.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has given its consent to an embattled parliamentary aspirant of the party, to contest the party’s parliamentary primaries in the Yilo Krobo constituency in the eastern region.
The decision communicated to the constituency and regional chairmen of the party gave the ‘green light’ to Albert Tetteh Nyarkotey to contest the polls alongside two others after a party member filed a petition for his disqualification from the primaries held on August 24, 2019.
The new date to conduct the parliamentary primaries in the constituency has subsequently been scheduled for Saturday, February 1, 2020.
The result of the vetting process for the Yilo Krobo parliamentary aspirants held on 25th July, 2019 were therefore not declared after the eligibility status of Mr. Nyarkotey was challenged by one Eku Stephen, a branch Communications Officer of the party.
The parliamentary primary in the constituency was suspended indefinitely pending the outcome of Mr. Nyarkotey’s appeal to the NDC’s Conflict Resolution Committee.
A letter dated, January 15, 2020 and signed by the party’s general secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia and addressed to the party’s Yilo Krobo constituency chairman, Narh Agbo and copied to the regional chairman, Joe Wak has cleared all aspirants to contest the elections.
“The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) at its meeting on 8th January, 2020 reviewed the matter and decided that all the persons who were vetted are duly qualified to contest the elections,” the letter stated.
“Accordingly, the aspirants, i.e, Andrews Sodah, Albert Nyarkotey and Michael Ologo have been cleared to contest the primary election.”
The letter subsequently directed the constituency electoral committee to conduct a balloting on Friday, January 18, 2020 and submit the results to the national secretariat with all the accompanying documents.
The eastern regional executive committee of the party was also subsequently authorized to facilitate and supervise all the processes towards the elections.
“Team Nyakotey,” the campaign team of the oil and gas magnate, expressed joy and satisfaction with the outcome of the vetting process, describing the verdict as one which “would bring ultimate peace,” adding that it would put an end to the uncertainty surrounding the conduct of the Parliamentary Primary in Yilo Krobo and thereby giving a level playing ground to all aspirants.
The team which described the development as a “major timeline in our struggle for truthfulness, fairness and good judgment,” expressed its profound gratitude to all and sundry including branch chairpersons and delegates of Yilo Krobo as well as ‘JM Drivers Union’ who have remained resilient through thick and thin for the inclusion of their candidate in the primaries.
The group also thanked its national executives, the national appeals committee, regional executives, constituency executives as well as all committees constituted to resolve the matter.
Background
One Mr. Eku Stephen, a branch Communication Officer of the party issued a petition against Mr. Albert Nyakotey’s filing which was subsequently referred to the Constituency Election Committee (CEC) upon which Mr. Nyakotey’s vetting was suspended when he appeared before the vetting committee.
Mr. Nyarkotey, after appearing before the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) where the issue was referred by the National Appeals Committee, was nevertheless disqualified from the primaries but the aspirant later filed an appeal against his disqualification to the FEC for redress which verdict remained pending, until Wednesday, January 15, 2020 when the FEC cleared him to contest.
Some branch executives of the NDC in the Yilo Krobo constituency of the Eastern region accused the party’s national chairman, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo of masterminding the earlier disqualification of Albert Tetteh Nyarkotey.
According to the group, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo schemed with the regional executives to deliberately disqualify Mr Nyarkotey in favour of his ‘darling boy’, Michael Ologo.