Some members of the New Patriotic Party in Cape Coast are demanding the disqualification of one of the candidates vying for the Cape Coast South constituency chairmanship position in the party.
The members at a news conference Thursday issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the party’s regional and national steering committees to disqualify Alex Hagan-Mensah or face a court action.
According to them, Mr. Hagan-Mensah, an international geologist, does not qualify to contest or vote in the Cape Coast South constituency election because he lacks the basic requirement to belong to the constituency.
Three people are including Mr. Hagan-Mensah are vying for the constituency chairmanship position.
Per the rules and regulation of the 2018 Constituency Annual Delegates Congress which starts February 24 “A contestant must be a registered voter and a member of the constituency in which he/she seeks to contest”.
However, the concerned members say Mr. Hagan-Mensah does not meet that requirement, hence cannot be allowed to contest in the constituency executive election.
They cited instances where candidates have been disqualified for the same inadequacies.
“At the Ekumfi constituency in the Central Region an aspirant, Nana Ansah, going for youth organizer has been disqualified on the basis that he doesn’t vote in the constituency in which he seeks to contest as stipulated in the rules and regulations governing this Annual Delegates Conference,” spokesperson for the group, Minnow Afful, told journalists.
They claimed that their search at the Electoral Commission revealed Mr. Hagan-Mensah voted at the Kwaprow polling station in the Cape Coast constituency, hence not eligible to vote or contest in Cape Coast South constituency.
Mr. Afful bemoaned the attitude of the regional and national party executives towards party elections in the constituency.
He blamed some regional and national executives for the discrepancies noting they are pursuing “personal interest”.
“Some contestants were disqualified based on some petitions raised in some polling stations and on the same issues petitioned in some polling stations other contestants were allowed to contest for various polling station positions”, he noted
The members fear if the issue is not handled properly, it may degenerate and ruin the fortunes of the party in the 2020 elections in the constituency.
“But the problem…from this attitude of our leaders is dangerous and if not dealt with before 2020 election, we will be losing Central Region or Cape Coast south constituency to be specific” he said.
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