The leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has finally slated July 9, 2016 as the date for the Chiana-Paga parliamentary primary, a letter signed by the General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has said.
The Chiana-Paga Constituency is the only one in the Upper East Region where the NDC has no parliamentary candidate for this year’s election. Three persons – the incumbent MP Abuga Pele, Jonathan Nyaaba and one time independent parliamentary aspirant, Lawyer Rudolf Nsorwine Amega-Etego – have been cleared to participate in the July 9 primary.
The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) parliamentary candidate, Clement Dandori, a retired civil servant and royal, was elected in June 2015 and has since been campaigning in the constituency as the party’s candidate for this year’s election; but the NDC has not yet elected its candidate because Abuga Pele is in court over an alleged fraud case.
The declaration of July 9 for the primary by the party’s leadership comes shortly after some youth in the constituency had petitioned and threatened to advise themselves if the party failed to announce a date for the primary within three days – from Friday, June 17.
The delay in organizing the primary has widely been linked to the uncertainty about the outcome of the on-going legal battle involving Abuga Pele, former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA).
The letter, addressed to the NDC Upper East Regional Secretary, asked the executives of the party to “ensure that the information is given a wide publicity with all aspirants duly informed,” and also asked the aspirants to get ready for the election.
In spite of the court case, the NDC has cleared the MP to contest again for the seat he won massively in 2012.
There had been calls and pressure on the party’s leadership to get Mr Abuga Pele to step aside for the constituency to hold its primary. There are indications that the MP still has an appreciable level of support in the constituency and could be the NDC’s best choice for now, considering how long the NPP’s Clement Dandori has been campaigning and interacting with the people, and the limited time the NDC will have to campaign before the parliamentary election.
The Chiana-Paga parliamentary seat has been occupied by both the NDC and the NPP at different times.
This year, there are no signs of an independent candidate emerging, and the November national election promises to be a fierce contest between the NDC and the NPP, especially if Abuga Pele wins the primary on July 9.
MP In Court
Abuga Pele, together with Philip Akpeena Assibit, CEO of Goodwill International Group (GIG), are on trial for the various roles they allegedly played in the GYEEDA alleged financial malfeasance, which the Attorney General’s Department says had caused financial loss to the state. The Chiana-Paga MP is accused of willfully causing financial loss to the state to the tune of GH¢3,330,568.53 while Assibit is being charged for defrauding the state of an amount equivalent to $1,948,626.68.
They have pleaded not guilty and are currently on bail, while the case is in its advance stage where Abuga Pele has said he is prepared to open his defence.
However, the MP has not been able to do so yet because his co-accused – Assibit – is still challenging the court’s order asking him to open his defence at the appellate court.
<<Print>>