Stay away from independent candidates - NPP warns members

All members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who have filed their nominations to contest as independent parliamentary candidates, have forfeited their membership of the party.

In the same context,  the party has stated that pursuant to Article 3 (9) of the NPP’s Constitution “any member of the party who supports or campaigns for an independent parliamentary candidate ahead of the forthcoming general election also automatically forfeits his/her membership of the NPP”.

Vacation of seat

A statement issued in Accra and signed by its General Secretary, Mr John Boadu, said the party had also taken cognisance of the party’s Member of Parliament for Fomena, Mr Amoako Andrew Asiamah, who had filed to contest as an Independent parliamentary candidate.

It said by so doing, he had presumably vacated his seat in Parliament pursuant to Article 97(1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic.
Article 97(1)(g) of the Constitution states that “A Member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament if he leaves the party of which he was a member at the time of his election to

Parliament to join another party or seeks to remain in Parliament as an independent member”.

The statement said the party had taken the necessary steps to inform the Speaker of Parliament of the above circumstances for appropriate action to be taken.

Commendation

It commended members of the party who had contemplated to go independent but reconsidered their decision in deference to the supreme interest of the NPP.

“Such display of loyalty and patriotism to the party can never go unnoticed, and the party duly acknowledges same,” it stated.

It commended the party’s MP for Akwatia, Ms Mercy Adu-Gyamfi, popularly known as Ama Sey, for heeding to wise counsel and deciding not to file as independent candidate but to rather support the party’s 2020 Parliamentary aspirant for the Akwatia Constituency, Mr Ernest Yaw Kumi, to retain the Akwatia seat for the NPP.

“The party again commends all  former aspiring parliamentary aspirants who, even though were unsuccessful in the 2020 parliamentary primaries of the party, are very much involved in campaigning for their respective parliamentary aspirants ahead of the general election,” it noted.

The statement said the party was on course to maintain its overwhelming majority seats in the next parliament.
 - #GhanaVotes2020