By Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Accra, April 06, GNA- The New Patriotic Party (NPP) will on Tuesday, April 11, open nominations for interested persons in the vacant Kumawu Constituency seat to pick forms.
This had been necessitated by the death of the Late Philip Basoah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Constituency.
Born on Tuesday, November 18, 1969, Basoah died on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at age 54 at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
A parliamentary source confirmed the death on Tuesday to the Ghana News Agency, however, it is reported that the former MP was found unconscious in his room on Friday, March 24, and was rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
A Statement issued and signed by Mr. Justin Kodua Frimpong, the General Secretary, NPP, copied to the GNA in Accra on Thursday said: “Nominations will close on Friday, April 14, 2023, while Sunday, April 23 has been set to elect a parliamentary candidate for the by-election.”
It said the timelines for the by-election for the Kumawu Constituency were decided on after the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Council meeting on Monday, April 3.
It said: “Approved detailed rules and regulations to govern the conduct of the parliamentary primary election will be made available to stakeholders. However, nomination forms will be available at the Constituency Party Office for purchase.”
The late MP was one of three Majority MPs who were absent from Parliament on Friday, March 24, during the debate and subsequent voting of some six new Ministers and two Supreme Court Judges.
In 2017, the former Kumawu MP first came to Parliament after winning the 2016 general elections in the constituency.
In the 2016 general elections, he won the parliamentary seat with 21,794 votes making 78.2 percent of the total votes cast for the NPP.
In the 2020 general elections, he won the parliamentary seat with 14,960 votes making 51.1 percent of the total votes cast.
The late Basoah was a member of the Sixth and Seventh Parliament.
Before being an MP, he was a Chief Executive for the Sekyere East District from June 2005 to January 2009 and was also a tutor at the Agogo State College.
Until his death, Basoah was the Chairman of the Employment, Social Welfare, and State Enterprises Committee of Parliament.
He was a Christian.
Mr. Alban Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, on Friday, March 31 declared the Kumawu Parliamentary seat vacant following the passing of the late Basoah.
As part of his formal communication to the House on Friday, Mr. Bagbin announced that the Electoral Commission had been officially informed about the MP’s demise and was waiting to conduct a by-election within the next 90 days by Section 3 of the EC’s Amendment Act 1996 ACT 52.
The NPP eulogized the late Basoah as “a gentle and astute politician whose contributions to the party, constituents, and the development of Ghana through his work in Parliament cannot be overemphasized.”
GNA
