Keta (VR), Mar 17, GNA – Processes for the election of electoral area coordinators of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Keta Constituency have turned chaotic.
The situation has resulted in the destruction of a party vehicle, injury and hospitalisation of one person.
This was after some aggrieved members of the party stormed the constituency office to prevent the eight-member Constituency Election Committee chaired by Mr Philip Bokorgah from vetting eligible candidates for the ongoing internal elections of the party.
A party activist, Mr Geoffrey James-Ocloo, who initiated moves to stop Wednesday’s vetting process told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the electoral process of the party in the Constituency had been injuncted and that his actions were to ensure a fair process.
“Per the rules, electoral area coordinators are elected by polling station executives. But as we speak, elections for the 120 polling station executives did not hold so why proceed to vet candidates for electoral area coordinators when those who will vote for them are yet to be elected? he asked
Currently, there’s a court injunction on elections in the Constituency due to attempts to remove old people and bring in new ones. And so, when I realised they were vetting candidates, we went to inform the Police and then proceeded to the party office to stop the process. All I want is a fair process, no elimination by rough tactics.”
Mr James Ocloo said he and his group succeeded in stopping the process around 1300hours and jointly locked the party office with the hope that the Election Committee would comply with the court order only to later gather the information that candidates were asked to reconvene at 1630hours for a continuation of the process.
“Information I picked revealed that the Committee resumed the process under the protection of thugs. I then called some of my guys to get to the office to face these thugs and disrupt the vetting process,” he said.
The Denu High Court on March 10 granted an injunction by interlocutory order to restrain the Election Committee members from vetting of eligible candidates, compiling albums for each polling station and from conducting polling station executives’ elections until the final determination of an alleged attempt to deny eligible candidates nomination forms with the purpose of disenfranchising them brought before it.
Chief Supt Jordan Quaye, the Keta District Police Commander, in an interview with the GNA, said the command initially granted a request for Police protection for the vetting process but later withdrew officers after being shown a copy of the court order.
When GNA contacted Mr Bokorgah, he declined comments on the situation except to say that “the party hierarchy is handling the matter.”
GNA