By Victoria Agyemang, GNA
Cape Coast, Apr 04, GNA – Mr. Ebenezer Quayson, a disqualified National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary aspirant of Upper Denkyira West Constituency has accused the Central Regional interim vetting committee of being biased.
He said his disqualification came after he refused a request from the committee to step down to enable the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Mr. Daniel Ohene Darko to go unopposed.
“Professor Richard Aseidu, the Regional Chairman said he will refund my filing fee to stop me from contesting the position but after disagreeing, he told me they will disqualify me.
“All the committee voted 5:1 against me after the chairman declared that and this is unfair”, he lamented.
Briefing the media after his disqualification at the Regional Office of the party, he said the delegates were against the incumbent MP for non-performance thus their support for him to unseat Mr. Darko to enable them to retain the seat for the NDC.
According to him the actions of the vetting committee would cause chaos and division among the delegates and the party as they were all in favor of him saving the seat for the party.
The Upper Denkyira West seat was one of the strongholds of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and any mistake to present the incumbent MP would empower the ruling party to regain the seat, he added
Mr. Quayson cautioned the party executives to reconsider their decision to disqualify him, to restore hope in the delegates to work towards retaining the seat in 2024.
Some aggrieved supporters of the disqualified aspirant raised concerns that such unfair treatment was causing division among the delegates.
They advised the leadership to come down to the grassroots to prioritize their concerns to help them make informed decisions for the betterment of the party.
Mr. Quayson was the only one disqualified out of the Group ‘A’ aspirants numbering 28 for 11 constituencies.
The constituencies vetted are Mfantseman, Cape Coast North and South, Assin Central and South, Upper Denkyira West, and East, Twifo-Atti-Morkwa, Ajumako-Enyan-Essian (AEE), Hemang Lower Denkyira, and Awutu Senya West.
Twenty-eight parliamentary aspirants of the nine constituencies which formed Group ‘B’ faced the vetting committee on Tuesday to enable them to contest the upcoming primaries slated for May 2023.
The constituencies are Awutu Senya East, Ekumfi, Agona East, Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa (AOB), Gomoa West, Agona West, Gomoa East, Gomoa Central and Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA).
Three constituencies have been withheld for reasons yet to be given.
They are Assin North, Effutu, and Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese (AAK).
GNA
