Some 800 delegates of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Klottey Korle Constituency of the Greater Accra Region, will vote in a Parliamentary primary re-run today [Saturday], to elect a parliamentary nominee to represent the party in the November polls.
The two aspirants, Nii Noi Nortey and Philip Addison, have both spoken convincingly about wining the race.
The re-run of the primary was necessitated by a court order after the first primary in August 2015, saw Nii Noi Nortey emerge as the winner.
In that primary, Philip Addison, who was lead counsel for the NPP’s 2012 election petition, polled a meager 22, while Nii Nortey, polled 393 votes.
Nii Adjei Tawiah, a third contestant who has now pulled out of the re-run to back Philip Addison, had 19 votes.
The two, who were dissatisfied with the outcome of the election describing it as a sham, went to court after their attempts to use internal party mechanisms failed.
During the court proceedings, the party got them to agree an out of court settlement, but that also failed. Eventually, the ruling by the court although a bit unclear, made a re-run inevitable, compelling the party to set a date for the re-run.
I will contest primary -Nii Nortey
After his initial assertion not to contest in a re-run, Nii Noi Nortey announced his decision to contest again despite emerging winner in the previous poll.
A statement from Nii Nortey’s lawyers said, “we wish to humbly inform all delegates in Klottey Korle and the teaming supporters of the NPP that in the interest of peace, harmony, party cohesion, unity of purpose to work together as members of the same political party, our client will take part in the re-run of the parliamentary primary.”
“It is our clients desire that after the said primary, all the contestants will rally behind the victorious candidate to contest the 2016 election. Our client is hereby calling on all delegates to turn up in their numbers to vote massively for him to enable him lead the Klottey Korle Constituency to victory in 2016,” it added.
Nii Adjei Tawiah chickens out
Meanwhile, one of the aspirants, Nii Adjei Tawiah, pulled out of the race few days ago, ostensibly to support Philip Addison.
Nii Adjei Tawiah was the party’s candidate on two occasions in 2008 and 2012, but lost to the NDC’s Nii Armah Ashietey, who’s the current MP.
NDC’s dilema
Coincidentally, the NDC in the same Constituency, is also faced with a difficulty on who leads the party in the November polls. The daughter of former President Rawlings, Dr. Zanetor Rawlings, who was elected in the party’s November primary, is being challenged in court by the incumbent MP, Nii Armah Ashietey.
Mr. Ashietey says Dr. Zanetor Rawlings was not qualified to contest the poll since she’s not a registered Ghanaian voter as the Constitution prescribes.
