The National Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a member of the Northern Region Parliamentary vetting committee, Mr. Sammi Awuku has debunked media reports that, Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul’s vetting vie phone was because the Bimbila MP has been quarantined.
According to Sammi Awuku, the minister could not physically participate in the vetting because he arrived from a long trip abroad the same day at dawn when he was supposed to appear before the vetting committee in Tamale.
Speaking to the media after a two-day vetting of MP hopefuls of the NPP in nine constituencies in the Northern Region, Sammi Awuku explained that the minister also had to attend to government assignments ahead of the 63rd Independence parade in the Ashanti region.
As a result, the minister pleaded if it would be convenient for the committee to consider vetting him via skype or phone or when the committee returned to Accra.
“And so we said waiting to come to Accra might delay our timetable and the vetting committee decided that, let’s vet him vie phone and I heard that he’s been quarantined, he is at home” the NPP National Organiser stressed.
The NPP MP for Bimbila was reported in the media for allegedly being quarantined after he travelled to South Korea as part of a three nation tour.
South Korea recorded its share of the deadly Coronavirus and many were expecting that anyone who visited any of the hit countries will be quarantined and taken through the WHO safety procedures.
NPP vetting
The NPP ended a two-day scrutiny of 22 parliamentary aspirants for the Bimbila, Savelugu, Nanton, Tolon, Gushegu, Yendi, Saboba, Kpandai and Wulensi constituencies.
The National Organizer stated the report of the vetting committee will be submitted to the National Executive Committee (NEC) for its final determination.
Until then, the fate of all candidates hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile, THE CUSTODIAN has learnt that petitions were submitted to the committee but Sammi Awuku when asked about the development declined to comment.
However, he identified Yendi as one of the hotspots in the northern region.
The NPP will go to polls on April 25 to elect candidates for the 169 constituencies where they have incumbent MPs across the country.
