NPP Parliamentary Candidate Withdraws From Kumawu Primaries Over Dual Citizenship

Edward Kofi Osei, one of the parliamentary candidates for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Kumawu Constituency, has confirmed his withdrawal from Sunday’s primaries.

The former Managing Director of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) cited concerns raised by the party’s leadership over his dual citizenship status as the reason for his decision.

Mr Osei, who participated in the 2020 NPP primaries in Kumawu but lost to the late Philip Basoah, maintains that he is a citizen of Ghana and holds a United States passport.

He explained that during the 2020 primaries, he was vetted and passed successfully, even though he had a US passport, citing a Supreme Court interpretation of Article 94(2a) of the Ghana constitution.

Article 94 (2a) states that a person does not qualify to be a Member of Parliament if he owes allegiance to a country other than Ghana.

Mr Osei referenced the Republic V High Court Ex Parte Zanetor Rawlings case, which further affirmed that a person must qualify as an MP when they submit their form to the EC.

“When the EC has not opened nomination, a person cannot be disqualified. In 2020, the elections were held on June 20, 2020, and the EC opened nominations on October 9, 2020, a whole five months lag. So If I had won the primaries in 2020, there would have been a whole five months to prove my eligibility in 2020,” he explained.