News:
October 16, 2024
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Amenfi Central Yaw Peter Kwakye-Ackah has confirmed to Ghanamps.com that he is indeed contesting as an independent candidate in the December 7, 2024 parliamentary election.
He said what has been reported in the media and on social media about his independent candidature is true, but refused to give any further details on his decision.
Minority Leader, Dr. Ato Forson made a statement of public concern on the floor of the House on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, when the House resumed from recess in relation to the former Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu’s petition to the Speaker in an attempt to get the Speaker to declare some four seats vacant.
The four MPs, three from the Majority side and one from the Minority have filed to contest as independent candidates in the coming 2024 elections; and the former Minority leader thought it was time their seats are declared vacant having come to the eighth parliament on the ticket of political parties.
Former Majority Leader Cletus Avoka on his part contributing to the statement noted that, if you are elected by the people to represent them in Parliament and you have to leave to join another party or go independent in election, it is seen as a principle of not contacting the sovereign will of the people and you have betrayed them because they had agreement to come and support a political party.
“So, if three or four months for their turner to come to an end, you betray that course, you no longer belong to that party, the day you file nominations you stop belonging to that party”, he lamented.
He said Article 97 comes to play, to prevent a practice we have in our Republic and other jurisdiction, where people were elected on a party ticket, they came to parliament and because of their personal interest and because of hope of advantage, inducement and corruption, they jump to another party without reference to the people who brought them to the august Parliament.
And the commonsense aspect of it is this, before you go to fill your nomination with the electoral commission, you should have a letter from the political parties. The question is, “those going independent which party did they get letters to go and file?”
So can a party file two candidates? No, so you have filed as an independent candidate, you do not belong to the party that brought you to parliament. “Commonsense is those who left our parties and are going independent if we are meeting as a caucus to strategically win seats, will we invited those going independent, will we invite them to our meetings? No”, he added.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com