DAILY GUIDE has gathered that confusion is looming in the ruling National Democratic Congrats (NDC) as the party’s top hierarchy had reportedly asked two members to file for the Kwahu Afram Plains South Constituency parliamentary seat in the Eastern Region to replace the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Joseph Appiah Boateng.
The incumbent Member of Parliament, who was the parliamentary candidate, last Friday opted out of the 2016 race after a court had granted a motion by one Dickson Adjei Danso that he (Boateng) should be prevented from the race because he is embroiled in a criminal case.
Lawyer for the Plaintiff, Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey, told DAILY GUIDE that “In 1998/99, the Honorable MP, known as Joseph Appiah, ran away from a criminal case against him at the Osu Police Station, changed his name to Charles Yeboah and traveled to New Zealand. Along the line, he got involved in a case of fraud and was convicted in Auckland and sent home to Ghana.”
Lawyers for the MP, as gathered, failed to convince the presiding judge, Patience Mills Tetteh, to dismiss the case on Tuesday, and the judge subsequently ruled that the MP could not be allowed to embark on campaign activities as the case is pending in court.
DAILY GUIDE learnt that the case could affect the NDC as a party hence, the decision to drop the incumbent, who won the primary last year against one Eric Osei-Owusu.
With this new development, the party’s National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy, was said to have asked the Eastern Regional Secretary, Mark Oliver-Kevor, to replace Mr Appiah Boateng as the party’s parliamentary candidate.
In another twist too, Eric Osei-Owusu, who placed second to Joseph Appiah Boateng, in the primary in November, 2015, upon instruction by the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, also filed his nomination to contest for the same seat as the EC closed the filing of nominations last Friday.
Drama At EC
DAILY GUIDE sources said that Eric Osei-Owusu, who hails from the constituency, was told last Tuesday to prepare to represent the party due to time factor.
However, before he could file on Friday, Oliver Kevor, without endorsement, rather submitted the incumbent MP’s nomination forms in his (MP’s) name.
The sources indicated that the Afram Plains South EC officer rejected Eric Osei-Owusu’s nomination papers but, Mr. Ofosu Ampofo, the NDC’s Elections Director, reportedly quickly called the Regional Minister, Mavis Ama Frimpong, who also called the EC officer to accept Eric’s forms.
Mr Osei-Owusu, told DAILY GUIDE that as far as he was concern, having been authorized by the party’s General Secretary, he is the candidate for the NDC.
Party Statement
However, when the issue was heating up, the Regional Chairman, Bismark Tawiah Boateng, in a press statement said the Executive Committee, after extensive consultations with Afram Plains South party executives and the National Secretariat, had replaced Joseph Appiah Boateng with Kevor Mark-Oliver as the party’s parliamentary candidate with no vetting.
Protest
However, a group calling itself Coalition of NDC Youth Groups in a statement, rejected the imposition of Kevor Mark-Oliver on the constituency.
The statement, signed by Shaibu M. Shamsu, its secretary, said it was in support of Mr Johnson Aseidu Nketia’s directive for Eric Osei-Owusu to replace Joseph Appiah Boateng.
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