A bitter dispute over election committees is currently tearing through the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency.
Several top executives recently boycotted the committee’s official launch, claiming that certain leaders broke the party’s own rules.
These members fear that the current setup unfairly favours a few powerful people while ignoring veteran voices.
The constituency’s Financial Secretary, Kwadwo Antiedu Kwarteng, expressed his deep frustration to the media. He explained that the party leaders pushed out experienced former executives and assembly members.
In their place, they appointed younger allies of specific politicians. Specifically, Kwarteng pointed to the Cyanide and Kwabedu areas as examples of this unfair shift.
“You appoint staff of Mireku Duker as election committee member and christen them opinion leaders, knowing very well that the same people created chaos even during the polling station registration, is a bad decision,” Kwarteng stated.
He warned that this exclusion would confuse instead of building a stronger party.
To stop the growing unrest, three key leaders, Augustine Quaicoe, Frank Gyemfi, and Kwarteng, have sent a formal petition to the national headquarters.
They want the current committees dissolved immediately. The group argues that the Constituency Secretary, Fuseni Amadu, bypassed the executive committee and chose members by himself.
“Contrary to the express provisions of the Party’s guidelines, the Constituency Secretary, Mr Fuseni Amadu, acting in concert with certain associates, unilaterally selected individuals who do not fall within the categories envisaged by the regulation… no meeting of the Constituency Executive Committee was convened to deliberate upon or approve the selection,” the petition reads.
The petitioners also claim that Regional Secretary Henry Amankwa Afrifa admitted to rushing the process due to time pressure. This haste, they argue, led to the submission of incorrect names without any local approval.
Kwarteng views this fight as a battle for the party’s soul. He urged the national leadership to act before the situation worsens.
“The Party must not be allowed to collapse on the altar of extreme autocracy disguised as expediency or majority will,” he cautioned.
The aggrieved members now wait for the national office to restore order and fairness to the electoral process.
