A group calling itself, Patriotic Youth Alliance has called for the removal of the Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako popularly, known as Chairman Wontumi as the party chairman in the region.
According to the group, Chairman Wontumi is preventing some prospective aspiring parliamentary candidates for orphan constituency to contest and scheming to ensure his interested people to go unopposed, situation they said would negatively affect the party in the 2020 general elections.
In a release sighted by thepressradio.com, they quizzed, “Are these Wontumi-hatched schemes in the ultimate interest of the party? No! If the party’s interest was his focal point, I wouldn’t berate him but I’m without doubt based on credible evidence, that his schemes are to fulfill his part of the bargain after his darling boys have paid their ‘dues’ to him”.
“As a matter of necessity, I request the national chairman and the general secretary to step and stop Wontumi from carrying out with Wontumi-hatched schemes. This is important for the success of the party in the orphan constituencies. A failure on the part of the national Leadership to this will be a dent on their image”. The release added.
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has outlined guidelines and modalities for the conduct of its parliamentary primaries in orphan constituencies nationwide.
Orphan constituencies are those in which the party has no sitting Member of Parliament.
It mentioned that the approved guidelines and modalities included among others, the holding of parliamentary primaries on 28th September, 2019 for the orphan constituencies simultaneously across the country; the opening of nominations on July 20, 2019 and its closure on August 3, 2019.
Below is the full release
WONTUMI SHOULD BACK OFF AND ALLOW THE PARL. PRIMARIES PROCESS TO GO ON PEACEFULLY – Patriotic Youth Alliance
In accordance with the party’s constitution, primaries for parliamentary candidates have been opened beginning with orphan constituencies.
Procedurally, the Gen Sec, John Boadu, has issued guidelines to guide the process and make it smooth-sailing as much as possible. An initial decision which I had planned to petition his office against, which was the prevention of some executives from contesting in orphan constituencies, has been fervently reversed.
The reversal of that bogus decision, adds to the total list of NPP’s plurality credentials. The reversal therefore removes impediments from the way of all interested individuals in the party to contest. Kudos to the party for doing the needful!
Unfortunately, people like Wontumi, have constituted themselves into an impediment in the way of some interested individuals. Wontumi in particular, is scheming to protect his darling boys in the region and working to let those his darling boys go unopposed.
Are these Wontumi-hatched schemes in the ultimate interest of the party? No! If the party’s interest was his focal point, I wouldn’t berate him but I’m without doubt based on credible evidence, that his schemes are to fulfill his part of the bargain after his darling boys have paid their ‘dues’ to him.
The key test for measuring the viability of a candidate in the ultimate interest of a party, is whether or not he/she resonates with delegates and neutrals within a constituency. Clinging to incumbency, and/appointment as MMDCE as basis for endorsing a candidate, is lame, unintelligible, and a crass manifestation of abuse of power.
The latter is Wontumi’s method – he is busily asking people to step down in order to allow his ‘darling’ boys go unopposed. Of particular mention are constituencies like Asawase, Bantama, Ejura, and Sekyere Afram Plains. In stead of applying the minimum party-interest test which I have mentioned in the paragraph supra, he is using the Wontumi-interest test. Very repugnant.
Wontumi should know that those MMDCEs and some incumbents he seeks to protect have accounts to render to the delegates. Preventing equally qualified individuals from contesting, is simply saying – no accountability, accountability is not important, ignore the delegates. This is the meaning of Wontumi’s avaricious scheme.
Hey, please allow those your ‘darling’ boys to account to the ordinary people of our party – if they did good, they’ll come out smelling like roses. This kind of downright imposition of candidates through mafia schemes, is an insult to the party’s grassroots. By such Wontumi-hatched schemes (driven by avarice), you are emboldening appointees and incumbents not to be accountable because they’ll be protected in the long run.
The mitigating powers of the delegates cannot be taken away by a few satisfied people like Wontumi at the top! This mitigating power is what we need to keep selfish, arrogant, and non-performing appointees in check!
Let me remind Wontumi that – not too long ago, it had to take the intervention of some mighty hands to protect his position. He would have lost badly should someone had challenged him in the regional conference held at Ejura. This should send a signal to him that the party doesn’t belong to him nor his cronies.
He should therefore seek to’re-endear’ himself to the party by using his position to promote the virtues of accountability, transparency, and unity.
As a matter of necessity, I request the national chairman and the general secretary to step and stop Wontumi from carrying out with Wontumi-hatched schemes. This is important for the success of the party in the orphan constituencies. A failure on the part of the national Leadership to this will be a dent on their image.
We won’t allow him and his eaten-to-fill cronies to manipulate the process in favour of any candidate. Wontumi, please be guided by the verse in Mathew 13:30 – “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Thank You
Spokespersons
Thomas Boakye
0507765398
Alhaji Suleman
0243296543
Source: Thepressradio.com
