News:
July 14, 2011
The NPP Member of Parliament for the Manhyia Constituency, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, has threatened to drag the NDC’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, to the Supreme Court to explain comments he made about the recent District Assembly elections.
Mr. Opoku Prempeh’s threat stems from what he describes as a breach of the nation’s Constitution which bars political parties from actively participating in district assembly elections.
The NPP MP indicated that the NDC General Secretary, in his address to the NDC party delegates in Sunyani over the weekend, stated that “overall, NDC sympathizers scored over 60% countrywide” in the district assembly elections – the elections are supposed to be non-partisan.
Citing Article 248 of the Constitution, the Manhyia MP raised the issue on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday July 13 but was advised by the Speaker to take the matter to the courts.
He has however given indications that he would consult the leadership of the NPP to take appropriate action against the NDC General Secretary in the coming days.
In an interview with Citi News, Hon Prempeh claimed the NDC scribe obtained the statistics on how many of the candidates in the district assembly elections were NDC members because the party sponsored candidates.
However, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Minister for Local Government, has rubbished the claims of the Manhyia MP, saying “I do not think that, that statement has breached the Constitution in any way.
“We monitored the assembly elections throughout the country and there is no evidence anywhere at all for us to establish that the NDC as a party sponsored candidates to contest the elections.
“The law states that parties cannot sponsor candidates but the Honorable Matthew Opoku Prempeh knows very well that after elections have been conducted, when you enter any district Assembly and you are a Member of Parliament there and your party chairman contested the election and won, you know that that person is an NPP or NDC person.
“If the NDC secretary contested the elections and won on his own merit without party sponsorship, it does not take anything away from him that his allegiance is to the NDC…
“So I do not think that the inference that the NDC General Secretary made, that people who are perceived to be favourably disposed to NDC won the assembly elections is by any stretch of the imagination a breach of the Constitution”.
Source: KA/citifmonline.com