Some aggrieved persons claiming to be delegates and loyalists of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Adansi Asokwa constituency in the Ashanti Region, have issued a statement, that they will not allow possible acclamation of long standing Member of Parliament, K.T Hammond, as the Parliamentary nominee for the 2016 elections.
In a statement, the delegates said they will resist any attempt by some members of the party to coerce an aspirant, Richard Oduro Anokye, to step down for Mr. Hammond.
According to the group, K.T Hammond should not be reaffirmed because he has lost the support of his constituents.
However, in a sharp rebuttal, K.T Hammond rubbished allegations, describing them as untrue.
“I heard that over 200 delegates appended their signatures to some toilet roll calling for me not to be affirmed …Every day there are allegations against me which have no iota of truth in them; “I assure my supporters that there is no trouble in Adansi Asokwa,” said the Adansi Asokwa MP.
He recalled that several attempts to get him to step down from contesting in previous polls had proved futile.
“In 2008, the person who wanted to contest me came with false documents and was disqualified. The same thing happened in 2012.”
He further argued that it was inappropriate for the group to go ahead of the Appeals Committee to ask him to step down. “If the person making the calls had any decency, he would wait for the Appeals Committee to make their decision…It is disrespectful to the committee… for someone to make the calls being made.”
The MP said he will only step down if he is given a credible list with the signatures of majority of the delegates asking him to take such a decision.” He however stressed that if his opponent is cleared to contest, he will not be intimidated; “I am a big boy, I can take care of myself,” K.T Hammond told Richard Sky on Eyewitness News.
Although parliamentary primaries have been held in majority of NPP constituencies, Mr. Hammond's Adansi Asokwa is yet to hold their primaries because of a pending case before the party's Appeals Committee.
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