Month: November 2015

Parliamentary and Presidential primaries of the ruling National Democratic Congress in the Ningo-Prampram constituency have been called off.

This follows hours of meeting betwen the two leading candidates Sam George and the incumbent Enoch Teye Mensah, and some officers from the national office of the party over claims of a tampered register made by George.

Officails failed to reach a definite deal on when next the polls can be held.

The NDC is voting today in a nationwide exercise to elect parliamentary candidates as well as a presidential candidate for next year’s elections.

728 candidates are contesting for seats across the country. Of the number, 74 are female while 127 are sitting Members of Parliament. 76 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief executives (MMDCEs) are taking part in the process. Three physically challenged persons are also contesting nationwide. 62 are going unopposed.

Today’s polls should begin the process leading to the party’s preparations for the 2016 elections.

7000 Policemen from the Ghana Police Service are taking part in today’s parliamentary and presidential primaries of the ruling National Democratic Congress.

The Service has assured its men have been adequately briefed in what they are anticipating will be a smooth process.

Today’s process is happening a year before the Party come face to face with the main opposition New Patriotic Party, who have since settled on its parliamentary candidates as well as Presidential.

The Party has suspended elections in six constituencies due to outstanding issues.

Ketu South, North Tongu and Nkwanta South constituencies in the Volta Region, have been left out of today’s process.

The rest are Akwatia Constituency in the Eastern Region, Chiana-Paga in the Upper East Region and Bunkpurugu Constituency in the Northern Region.

Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Koku Anyidoho said the cancellation of elections in the aforementioned constituencies is due to either  court actions or incomplete vetting processes.

Today’s process was preceded by elections in the Amenfi West Constituency in the Western Region as part of  the a pilot of the new biometric process the ruling Party is exploring for the first time.

Polling is taking place in some 269 constituencies.

Ghanamps.gov.gh

An Accra High Court has dismissed an interlocutory application filed by embattled National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary aspirant for North Tongu, Christopher Kofi Eblu, seeking to stop the parliamentary election scheduled for November 21, 2015.

The court ruled that the plaintiff erred in the suit filed, as he should have sued the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and not it’s National Chairman Kofi Portuphy.

Mr Eblu also joined , Volta Regional NDC Chairman, Mr. Joseph Kwabena Gyapong, and North Tongu Constituency Chairman, Mr. Moses Amenudor in the suit.

He was praying the court among other reliefs to declare that he (Plaintiff) is a proven leading member of the ‘akatamansonians’.

The disgruntled Eleblu was disquafied by the NDC National Petition Review Committee on October 14, 2015 on grounds that he had been arraigned before an Accra High Court (Financial Division) for defrauding the State to the tune of GH₵646,000.00

In an interview, Mr Eleblu stated that though the court is yet to determine the merit of his case, he is satisfied with the judgement, adding that he’s yet to decide what he next step of action will be, but was quick to add that he’ll not go independent.

“Though from the party’s point of view, I believe I was not treated fairly, contesting as an independent candidate is not an option being considered at all. I’m still a member of the NDC party and will support whoever emerges as the parliamentary candidate for the area.”

With Mr Eleblu out of the contest, the incumbent Member of Parliament for the North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is in a pole position to retain his position as the MP for his area, since the 2016 Parliamentary election will be a mere formality for him to keep his seat.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps,gov.gh

A disqualified Parliamentary aspirant in the Ketu South Constituency of the Volta Region, Jim Yao Morti, has filed a suit at a court in Accra against the incumbent Member of Parliament, Fiifi Kwetey.

Kwetey is 5th Defendant, with the Constituency, Regional and National Chairmen of the Party, and Chairman of the Vetting Committee, the other defendants.

Kasapafmonline.com has exclusive copy of the suit (inserted below), filed today, and which has since made its way out of the courts.

We reported weeks ago, Kwetey is currently faced with a grand coup, led by constituents who have questioned his leadership style.

They have expressed dissatisfaction with his stewardship thus far, describing him as incompetent. A protest march in some parts of the constituency saw an incensed crowd put across their frustrations.

While some have called on the larger voting public in the constituency to vote him out during the primaries, others say they will vote for the Party but not the MP in 2016, should he make it.

A spokesperson for the group David Bani said “For arrogant Fifi Kwetey to win, we will rather vote for the NDC. We will vote ‘skirt and blouse.

They cannot impose the incompetent Fifi Kwetey on us. With what is happening it is clear that they are trying to impose Fifi on us.”

The NDC goes to the polls November 21.

So far, a total of 86 aspirants in the Volta Region have been cleared.

A youth group known as the Volta Youth For Development is asking President mahama to select the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Doe Adjaho as his running mate to secure victory for the party in the 2016 elections

The group in a press release signed by its Chairman, Prosper Fofo Ndekor, said its research has shown that Ghanains are disappointed over the incompetence of Vice President Amissah Arthur and will vote against the NDC should President Mahama retain him as his running mate.

“Secondly, with the continues strong support of NDC by Voltarians despite our continues neglect by the NDC when it comes to development and ministerial position assignments, we as a result deem it fit for the President and all the national executives of the NDC party to at least “console our soul” with this running mate position.”

The statement added that even though Hon. Doe Adjaho has no hand in their demand, the group has chosen to nominate him to be considered for this position because it sees him as the best out of all the Voltarians in NDC, a position they claim is backed by a research conducted among majority of voltarians in and out of the Volta region.

Ghanamps.gov.gh

Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, Former President at the weekend  appealed to members of the Okaikoi Central Constituency to give Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah, the Member of  Parliament (MP) for the constituency another term for more development.

He told the constituents that the MP is an apprentice who learnt about how to develop a setting; how to become a good leader and servant as well while he was with him (Mr Kufuor) during his operations before assuming office as the President of the country and therefore has learnt a lot that qualifies him for another chance.

Mr Agyekum Kufuor made the appeal at the constituency during a launch of “Progress Diary”, a booklet containing the development the MP has brought into the constituency since he assumed office in 2012.

He told the constituents: “Patrick Boamah is a man who can take you farther if you should give him the chance”.

The Former President also said it is important that every leader serves with humility and honesty to make development.

He noted that the country is blessed and not poor as its citizens think, hence the need for everybody to work hard with commitment and honesty to make the nation a better one.

“There are jobs in the country and not vice versa as people are saying, so when the citizens change their character while the leaders work with honesty, the youth will get jobs to do.”

Mr Boamah said when it comes to education, he has donated school desks, computers, books and cash to schools in the constituency most especially to the deprived public schools and scholarships are being awarded to the needy but brilliant students in the Senior High Schools and Tertiary Institutions.

He said there is also a cultural centre project, which is geared towards providing a recreational and educational centre where young people can have some guidance with their life choices and direction.

Talking about health, he disclosed that through his effort, more than 2000 constituents who cannot afford to register for national health insurance have been registered for free.

Also, there is organisation of annual health screening exercise for all the five electoral areas namely Blemagor, Olengele Koona, Gbemomo, Apenkwa, and Wuoyenman.

The MP also said he has donated jerseys, drafts, footballs and other sports equipment or materials needed to support eh activities of sports clubs, and school sports clubs in the constituency.

The booklet also disclosed that the MP has set up a Sanitation Task Force  tasked with the daily responsibility of cleaning the area and the effective collection and disposal of rubbish in households and by the streets; an operation which is solely financed by the MP.

The government is likely to succumb to election pressures and spend beyond the targets set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during the 2016 financial year, the Minority New Patriotic Party (NPP) Caucus in Parliament has predicted.

The Fund in September, 2015, advised the government to as a matter of urgency put a figure to the 2016 general elections to avoid the risk of fiscal overruns.

“To avoid the rist of fiscal overruns in connection with next year’s election, it is imperative to identify the full cost related to the elections as early as possible and provision for it in the 2016 budget, while ensuring that the fiscal targets will be achieved,” Deputy Managing Director of the Fund, Min Zhu said after the Executive Board completed review of Ghana’s performance under the three year Extended Credit Facility (ECF).

Ghana has over the years suffered budget overruns, especially, in election years. However with an IMF program covering 2016, a high level fiscal discipline is required to ensure that the country remains on track towards economic recovery.

Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, delivering the 2016 Budget assured Parliament that the country will do its best to resist the temptation of election year overspending in order to safeguard the gains made by the economy.

“The President has assured of sustaining fiscal discipline despite 2016 being an election year. Whilst investing prudently in infrastructure development, we will resist the temptation of election year overspending,” he told a half-full Parliament.

But the Minority believes government will certainly not abide by the targets set by the IMF in its budget, describing the comments of the Finance Minister as a mere promise.

“Those targets will be breached for sure as the government will inevitably succumb to election pressures. It is not a credible budget,” the Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu told journalists at a press conference moments after the presentation of the 2016 budget on the floor of the House.