Connect with us

News

NPP primaries: Disallow govt appointees from contesting too – MCE to party leadership

The Municipal Chief Executive of the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly, Hon. Kennedy Kankam is urging the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to prohibit government appointees from running in the party’s parliamentary primary elections.

He asserts that, if permitted to run, government appointees will have the advantage over the current MPs because of their influence within the party.

In a statement, the party prohibited MMDCEs, national, regional, and constituency executives from running for office in districts where the party currently has MPs in office. If they want to run, they must step down from their positions.

Former Nhyiaso MP said the ruling should not only apply to party officials but also to powerful party members who want to run in the parliamentary primaries.

According to him, CEOs, executive directors, board members, and other government appointees have more power than MMDCEs and party executives.

“I’m in 100% support of the party’s directive, but what I’m pleading for is for expansion of those that have been barred from contesting.  Nobody should get me wrong. The directive that MMDCEs are not supposed to contest, I don’t have problems with that. But the fact of the matter is that if you look at the explanations given to the officers of the party. They said that they don’t want them to disturb the MPs in their backyards while they are in Parliament. They want MPs to focus on all sorts of things.”

He asserted, “But limiting it to the MMDCEs and party executives alone, I’m sorry will not help us to achieve the explanations they are giving to us. That is where I’m trying to draw the party’s attention. They are saying that the MMDCEs have a lot of influence in the system and when they are left to contest, it will create a lot of problems. But looking at the ministers, deputies, CEOs, executive directors, members of Boards, and other government appointees, their influences are even more than that of MMDCEs and party executives”.

He further recommended that the instruction be extended to include ministers, deputy ministers, CEOs, and other government appointees.

“If the party really wants the MPs to have their peace of mind to work, then I think they [party] need to look at it again and expand it to cover ministers, deputies, CEOs and other government appointees,”

“The influences some of these CEOs, ministers and deputies have, sitting MPs might finish all their lifetime savings if they try to contest them. There should be a level playing field for all,” the MCEopined.

Connect
Newsletter Signup