Day: November 20, 2023

The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) dismissal of some supporters of Alan Kyerematen can trigger defiance among Party members who support him behind the scenes, Professor Alidu Seidu, a political scientist, has said.

He observed that a ‘whole lot’ of NPP members still supported Mr Kyerematen, but were also committed to the Party and cautioned that the outright dismissal of some members could cause disunity in the NPP.

Prof. Seidu, who is also the Head of Political Science Department, University of Ghana, was reacting to the NPP’s dismissal of four supporters of Mr Kyerematen, who were also members of the Party.

The Party in a statement on Monday announced the dismissal of Hopeson Adorye, Nana Ohene Ntow, Boniface Abubakar Saddique and Yaw Buaben Asamoa as members of the NPP.

The NPP accused the four officers of openly declaring support for Kyerematen’s Movement for Change -a vehicle for his independent presidential campaign.

The statement signed by Mr Justin Kodua Frimpong, General Secretary, NPP, said the f
our persons have ‘automatically forfeited their membership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).’

‘They are, therefore, no longer members of the Party,’ it added.

Prof. Seidu in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, criticised the NPP’s handling of the matter, saying the Party should have invited the four accused persons to explain themselves before taking any disciplinary action.

He said the action could also give credence to Mr Kyerematen’s accusation that the Party was intolerant and discriminatory, leading to his decision to quit the NPP.

Prof. Seidu said the move could deepen divisions within the Party and undermine reconciliation efforts following Mr Kyerematen’s resignation from the NPP and subsequently forming his own Party to contest elections in 2024.

‘There are still a whole lot of people – both grassroots and Party hierarchy – who love this man and want to support him, but still think that they can contribute their quota to the NPP while supporting him behind the scenes.

‘But these kinds of a
ctions can trigger a positive defiance on the part of the grassroots or people who support him. If care is not taken, it can lead to a serious misunderstanding and disunity within the Party,’ Prof. Alidu said.

Mr Kyerematen, in September this year, withdrew from the NPP’s presidential primary and subsequently resigned from the Party, and declared his readiness to contest the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate.

Key members of Mr Kyerenaten’s campaign team during the NPP’s presidential primary were Nana Ohene Ntow, a former General Secretary of the NPP; Yaw Buaben Asamoa, the immediate-past Director of Communications, NPP; Boniface Abubakar Saddique, former NPP Member of Parliament for Madina, and Hopeson Adorye, a former NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Kpong Katamanso.

They have all been accused of still campaigning for Mr Kyerematen openly as an independent candidate, contrary to Article 3(9) (1) of the Party’s Constitution.

When contacted, Mr Asamoa told the GNA that he would official
ly respond to his dismal with a statement soon.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has dismissed four members of the Party for openly declaring support for Mr Alan Kyerematen, who is lacing his boots to contest as independent candidate in the 2024 presidential election.

The Party in a statement on Monday announced the dismissal of Hopeson Adorye, Nana Ohene Ntow, Boniface Abubakar Saddique and Yaw Buaben Asamoa as members of the NPP.

The NPP accused the four officers of publicly endorsing Mr Kyerematen’s Movement for Change.

The statement signed by Mr Justin Kodua Frimpong, General Secretary, NPP, said the four persons have ‘automatically forfeited their membership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)’.

‘They are, therefore, no longer members of the party,’ it added.

It said the move by the four persons breached the Party’s constitution, hence their removal.

Article 3(9) (1) of the NPP’s Constitution indicates that any member of the Party who ‘joins or declares his or her support for another Political Party, or for an independent candidate, when the Party ha
s sponsored a candidate in a general or by-election, automatically forfeits his or her membership of the Party.’

Mr Kyerematen, in September this year, withdrew from the NPP’s presidential primary and subsequently resigned from the Party, and declared his resolved to contest the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate.

Nana Ohene Ntow, a former General Secretary of the NPP, and Yaw Buaben Asamoa, the immediate-past Director of Communications, NPP, were key members of Mr Kyerematen’s campaign team.

Boniface Abubakar Saddique, a former NPP Member of Parliament for Salaga, and Madina, and Hopeson Adorye, a former NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Kpong Katamanso, also gave their support to Mr Kyerematen.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Obuasi Municipal Assembly will soon begin the construction of a 1000-seater modern recreational centre to provide conducive atmosphere for social activities and events in the municipality.

Mr Elijah Adansi-Bonah, the Municipal Chief Executive, who announced this, said agreement had been reached with the local executive of the Garages Association to relocate artisan at the project site to a permanent place to pave the way for the construction of the community social centre to begin.

Addressing a town hall meeting at Obuasi, he said the place to accommodate the artisans was almost complete and they would soon be moved for the project to commence.

‘We have agreement in place with the leadership of garages to relocate them with a month-long relation plan in place. Electricity, toilet facility and water have been provided’, he stated.

Mr Adansi-Bonah said the demarcations had been done and assured that the road linking the place would be graded to make movement of vehicles to the site easier.

He said the
artisans’ new site situated at New Biakoyeden, would be a hub for business growth, collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship within the automotive industry.

Mr Adansi-Bonah pointed out that the 800-1000 capacity recreational centre to be known as Obuasi Urban Park and located near the Len Clay Stadium, would have mini conference rooms, auditorium, washrooms, playground and other facilities.

It would provide a thriving hub of activities for the youth, families, senior citizens, civic organizations and social clubs in Obuasi and its environs.

He said the assembly would strengthen its revenue mobilization efforts to generate enough funds to executive its development projects and called on the people to support the assembly to achieve its mandate of bringing development to improve their living conditions.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A voluntary group of vibrant young men and women supporting Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia (DMB), has released strategic and detailed plans to enable the New Patriotic Party (NPP) win the Elections2024 in the Hohoe Constituency.

Known as the Hohoe DMB Volunteers, the Group said the blueprints were the cardinal objectives that would help Dr Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the Party win votes of the Hohoe constituents in December 2024.

Mr Justice Alexander Adigbli, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the group at a press conference in Hohoe, said there was the need for the Party to conduct research for informed decision-making in the Constituency.

The research would help gather, analyse and disseminate relevant data and information that would help connect well with the electorate effectively to drive home DMB’s president bid, he said.

Mr Adigbli said a research team should be established to conduct comprehensive studies on key issues affecting Ghanaians such as the economy, to serve as the foundation for
Dr Bawumia’s campaign and marketing.

He said there was the need to increase voter awareness in the Constituency through educational campaigns across institutions, town hall meetings, and door-to-door outreach to inform communities about the Flagbearer’s policies and plans.

Mr Adigbli noted that volunteers must be recruited and trained to actively engage with the communities.

He said the volunteers should be equipped to effectively communicate Dr Bawumia’s vision and research-backed policies which would foster a sense of trust and credibility among voters.

Mr Adigbli said the Hohoe DMB Volunteers were resolute and committed to their agenda and called on all constituents to join the historic journey of success.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A total of forty-seven aspirants have successfully filed nominations to contest in the upcoming District Level Elections (DLEs) in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality of the Western Region.

After close of nominations on Friday, November 17, forty -two males and five females had submitted their forms to contest in the DLEs across the 13 Electoral Areas within the Municipality.

Mrs Effe Wilson, Western Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview, in Takoradi on Monday.

She said a total of 174, made up of 141 males and 33 females had also filed to contest in the Unit Committee membership in the various electoral areas in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality.

She said all nominations received were vetted before clearing aspirants to contest in the elections.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin on Monday reiterated that the House will not pass the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Bill under a certificate of urgency.

He noted that the Affirmative Action Bill was a critical one, which required input from all stakeholders to enable the House to come out with a good law for the country.

Speaker Bagbin made the remarks in his address at the Speaker’s Breakfast Forum in Accra, on the theme ‘Thirty Years of Parliamentary Democracy under the Fourth Republic: Reflections on Citizens’ Engagement and the Way Forward’.

The Forum, which was organised by Parliament and the Office of the Speaker in collaboration with STAR Ghana, seeks to consolidate the relationship between Parliament and civil society organisations (CSOs) and to explore new ways of working together for accountable governance.

It was also to mark the fifth Anniversary of STAR Ghana.

The Speaker indicated that in the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government, which was presented to t
he House on November 15, one could see the arms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a lot of decisions in the budget.

‘And a critical Bill like the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Bill has come to Parliament under the certificate of urgency, please it won’t happen. We won’t pass it under a certificate of urgency,’ he stated.

‘There are critical stakeholders we must consult and make sure we go together, we will not be dictated to, by the IMF. That one, you can be sure, not this Bill’.

He said the Bill was a critical Bill, which the IMF itself should know that Parliament needed the inputs of stakeholders to be able to implement it.

‘The IMF should know that the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has fixed 2040 for all Parliaments in the world to reach gender parity.

The IPU calls for embedding gender parity in constitutions and legal frameworks and setting out in the legal framework a 50 per cent women’s representation in parliament and government as an objective to be attained by member States.

H
e said the 50 per cent women representation was not only for Parliament but outside Parliament as well; adding that ‘and we need to deliberately focus on this, and this must be legitimised in our laws’.

‘We cannot under a certificate of urgency go through this one and get it properly positioned.’

He noted that the resolution they passed at the IPU was that any Parliament that fails to get gender parity by 2040, would not be a member of the IPU but be an observer.

The Speaker reiterated that Ghana could not afford be left behind.

He said Ghana’s Parliament had a long way to go; stating that ‘from 14.5 per cent (women Members of Parliament) to get to 50 and we will be passing laws under certificate of urgency and be getting the blame, not IMF’.

Speaker Bagbin said sometimes when a Bill was done in a hurried manner, when it gets to the Supreme Court, the Court strikes out the law and the House would then be blamed for not having done a decent job.

‘…. Please not under my watch. If only members decide that
I leave my seat, I will thank you and go home to rest. I believe enough is enough. I know it is difficult to swallow but please the Speaker will not give in to pressure,’ Speaker Bagbin said.

‘But I am saying all this because this gives you the opportunity as Members of Parliament to show how relevant you are to your constituents for them to be able to value you, when you reach out to them, listen to them, get their concerns and factor it into laws and programmes of government’.

Adding that when Members of the House consult their constituents in law making and policy formulation, their constituents would see their importance.

Dr Esther Ofei-Aboagye, Chair, Governing Council of STAR-Ghana Foundation, said Ghana had a robust Constitution, which gives Ghanaians confidence on the way forward.

‘Parliament of Ghana has played a critical role in the evolution of STAR-Ghana Foundation and we value the relationship,’ she said.

‘We look forward to working with Parliament more vigorously, beyond the engagement with
civil society to promote an active relationship with the citizenry.’

Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan, First Deputy Majority Whip and New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon, hailed the role of CSOs in the consolidation of Ghana’s democracy; stating that citizens’ engagement was the cornerstone of the country’s democracy.

Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembele, said Ghana’s Parliament had evolved over the years and that they had moved from the period where MPs were operating from the boots of their cars and that now they were operating from their offices.

Mr Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah, the Clerk to Parliament, said the Parliamentary Service Board had restructured the Public Affairs Division of Parliament into three new Departments – Media Relations, Public Engagement and Broadcasting; with the goal of greater citizens’ engagement in the decision-making process of the nation’s Legislature.

Source: Ghana
News Agency