Youth members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Chiana Paga Constituency of the Upper East Region have called on the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to, within three days, come out with a date for a primary to be held in the constituency.
According to them, the delay in holding a primary in the constituency to get a parliamentary candidate is giving the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) undue advantage.
In a statement issued on Saturday, June 18, the youth say the situation appears to paint the NDC and the president as not caring whatever happens in the constituency despite polling the region’s highest number of votes for the party in the last elections.
‘Sure banker’
“We feel the NDC’s National Executive Committee and His Excellency John Mahama are clearly asking us to advise ourselves.”
The statement said NPP’s candidate, who is a royal, is making inroads with barely five months to the elections.
“The constituency is not a ‘sure banker’ for the NDC and we see no reason why the primaries should be delayed.”
The 2012 NDC candidate, Abuga Pele, who is also the sitting Member of Parliament, is standing trial for financial misappropriations during his tenure as head of the erstwhile Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) and the youth claim some party bigwigs appear to be nurturing a candidate at the expense of Mr Pele.
According to them, that candidate plans to go independent with the support of his cohorts if he loses the primaries.
“Any way, we believe that if one is loyal to the party, he will be loyal to his constituents. But that is if loyalty really matters to NDC National Executive Committee. Because we believe in loyalty and we will support the loyal candidate who has always been there for the party no matter the situation.
“We are therefore giving the NEC a three day ultimatum to come out with a fix date for the primaries to be held, if not we will advice ourselves accordingly.”
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana
Twitter: @kwame_amoh