The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has blacklisted its members who decided to file as Independent Parliamentary Candidates to contest the 2020 elections.
According to the party, those members automatically forfeited their membership of the party from the very day they filed with the Electoral Commission (EC) to contest pursuant to Article 3(9) of the NPP Constitution.
It warned that any member of the party who supports or campaigns for any of the Independent Parliamentary Candidates ahead of the general elections, by the same constitutional injunction, also automatically forfeits his/her membership of the NPP.
A release by the General Secretary of the party, John Boadu, indicated that MP for Fomena Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Amoako Andrew Asiamah, who was elected to Parliament on the ticket of the party, has filed to contest as an independent candidate.
“By so doing, he has 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.”
According to him, the party has taken the necessary steps to inform the Speaker of Parliament of the circumstances for appropriate action to be taken.
The General Secretary commended all party members 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, he said, can never go unnoticed and that the party duly acknowledges same.
He praised the Hon. Mercy Adu-Gyamfi a.k.a Ama Sey, the MP for Akwatia Constituency for paying heed to wise counsel and deciding not to file as independent candidate but to rather support the party’s 2020 parliamentary candidate, Mr. Ernest Yaw Kumi, to retain the seat for the NPP.
“The party again commends all the former aspiring Parliamentary Candidates who, even though were unsuccessful in the 2020 parliamentary primaries of the Party, are very much involved in campaigning for their respective Parliamentary Candidates ahead of the general elections.
“The Party congratulates all the 275 Parliamentary Candidates of the Party who successfully filed their nominations with the Electoral Commission to contest in the 2020 Parliamentary Elections and wishes them the best success in the elections.”
“The NPP is undoubtedly on course to maintaining its overwhelming Majority Seats in the next Parliament Insha Allahu,” the release said.
