Francis Addai Nimo, former Member of Parliament (MP) for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the Mampong constituency in the Ashanti Region has raised an alarm about how he is been suppressed from picking forms to contest in the ruling party’s forthcoming primaries.
In a letter dated January 28, 2020 and addressed to Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Mr. Nimo claims he is being denied and obstructed from being able to purchase forms to contest in the primaries as a parliamentary candidate.
“This appeal has become necessary because I am being denied access and obstructed to purchase the said forms at the Mampong Constituency level of the party,” he wrote in the letter.
In it, he narrated how the Constituency Chairman, Luther Asare, had told him that he had already sold off all the GHC 2,000 nomination forms and that nothing could be done for him [Adai Nimo] to obtain the forms.
“I then contacted the Chairman of the Constituency Council of Elders, Mr. Gyasi Nimako…he informed me that he did not instruct the Constituency Chairman to sell the 3 copies of the forms meant for the constituency. He also said that once the Forms had been sold, he could not take any step to obtain additional forms from the Regional Secretariat…,” a disgruntled Addai Nimo recounted his ordeal.
His ordeal is reminiscent of reports of former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko and another parliamentary aspirant from the Asokwa Constituency, Nana Yaw Boakye were both bounced from picking up presidential and parliamentary nomination forms respectively.
Addai Nimo who had contested President Akufo Addo during the NPP’s last presidential primaries had earlier in 2018 hinted that he was planning to contest incumbent President Akufo Addo for the 2020 primaries of the NPP.
“It is with deep sense of responsibility that inform my intention to seek/mandate of our party to contest the presidential election, considering the support and commitment towards the party (NPP), hinged on President Akufo-Addo’s indication that the country may not see his face on the next ballot’, it becomes imperative to keep the nation informed,” he was quoted in interviews with him in 2018.
The former legislator appears to have touched a raw nerve of President Akufo Addo, as he is the only rival for the party’s presidential ticket who have been totally ignored from appointments in President Akufo Addo’s administration.
The targeting of selected individuals and the attempt to frustrate them from contesting in the party’s primaries has been seen as potential friction between the so-called Ashanti caucus and Akyem faction in the ruling party.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has picked forms to contest the presidential primaries of the governing New Patriotic Party.
The President had earlier begged Ghanaians to give him four more years to continue his agenda for the state.