NPP Constitution Allows For Even An NDC Card Bearing Widow To Be Selected As Parliamentary Candidate - Obiri Boahen
Deputy General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen has schooled all critics including the former Deputy Minister of Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu on the selection of widows to replace dead Members of Parliament in a contest.
According to him, it is an act of ignorance for Felix Kwakye Ofosu to sit somewhere to conclude as unconstitutional for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to select widows as a replacement to contest for the party in an election.
“Sometimes when you are responding to someone on an issue, if you don’t control your temper or your patience, you will say things that you are not supposed to say. Those who are saying it is unconstitutional to appoint a widow to replace her husband in an election don’t know what they are saying,” he chided.
Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Nana Obiri Boahen found it surprising to hear Felix Kwakye Ofosu who is an NDC member talk about the constitutionality of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He indicated that Felix Kwakye Ofosu has not taken time to read the constitution of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), hence, he does not know what the constitution of the party says with regards to the selection of a candidate to replace a dead Parliamentary Candidate.
“Felix Kwakye Ofosu is in the NDC and NPP MP is dead and the NPP has decided to use his wife to replace him, why do you say it is unconstitutional? Has he taken time to look into the constitution of the NPP?”, he asked.
In explaining the constitution of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen said the constitution has been changed from the first time it was drafted on 24th June, 1992.
He added that the constitution was amended on 29th August, 1998 and another one on 22nd August, 2009 with the last amendment on 17th December, 20017.
He stressed that the amendment of the party’s constitution makes it possible for the constituency executives and the party members in the constituency to elect a Parliamentary Candidate with the approval from the National Executive Committee or the National Council.
“So, if in the case of the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency, a widow is selected and in the Mfantseman too, a widow is selected to represent the party in an upcoming election, the NPP has not erred; the law of the party allows it,” he indicated.
“However, the NPP constitution allows the National Executive Committee to settle on a widow even if she is an NDC card-bearing member; she will still stand for the NPP in the constituency. That is how the NPP Constitution operates and so if you don’t know the NPP Constitution, you don’t sit somewhere to say that it is unconstitutional,” he chided.
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