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The Executive Secretary of the National Service Secretariat, Dr Michael Kpessah Whyte, has dismissed suggestions that he should allow the widow of the late parliamentary candidate for Shai-Osudoku, Desmond Ocloo, to contest unopposed for the governing National Democratic Congress’ primary to elect a new candidate to replace the deceased.

Mrs Linda Ocloo has filed her nomination papers to contest for the vacant slot with the hope of picking up from where her late husband left off.

Mr Ocloo died in an accident in March this year. Supporters of the widow have suggested there should be no contest during the party’s upcoming primary.

But speaking to Class News' Napo Ali Fuseini, Dr Kpessah Whyte argued that the contest was not the preserve of a family, adding that he has what it takes to provide leadership for Shai-Osudoku.

“I think if it’s a moral question, then the morality in the question has to be actually answered by the widow. Less than four days after the passing of our late parliamentary candidate, posters of the widow started surfacing on social media and we thought it was a joke. We saw it spread on social media that she was going to contest and we all said that there was no way this can happen because you have just lost your dear one and there will be time for mourning, time for funeral, burial, and so on and so forth, and, so, it raises a lot of moral questions. What does she know that we did not know as far as this incident is concerned?” he asked.

“I think that it needs to be made clear that the elections are not about gifts to families. The election is about the hope and aspiration of women and men, youth, old and young in Shai-Osudoku. It is about roads, it is about education, jobs for young people. It is about also providing the needed information for young people to also have access to the various employment opportunities government is making available and I feel that under the circumstances, I have what it takes to provide that kind of leadership for the Shai-Osudoku constituency, and, so, there shouldn’t ever be anything like once the man passed away then the woman should take over,” Dr Kpessah Whyte told Class News.

“If you care to know, we are very much aware that the widow was never in favour of the man contesting and had been very hostile to some of the supporters of the man in the election. So, how do we now come to a conclusion that she should now take over from the man?”, he wondered.