Akuapem North NPP Boiling Up As Members Face Off With Constituency Executive For Flouting NEC Directive On Member Registration

There’s massive tension brewing in the Akuapem North constituency as some Polling Station Executives and Members of the New Patriotic Party are raising concerns over alleged illegalities being perpetrated the Constituency Chairman Frank Appiah and his executives in the ongoing membership registration.

In a 6 paged petition submitted to the Eastern Regional Chairman and copied to the National Executive Committee, the Members are raising fundamental questions which they believe will affect the successful implementation of the registration if not addressed immediately. It’s in their opinion that, the actions of the constituency executives if not immediately addressed will deliberately prevent some members from having their names in the register.

According to the petition, the registration which is supposed to run for 20days in all Polling station is being done in just one day for 6hours and that’s it. The register remains with the constituency chairman and he’s rotating through the 138 polling stations for just a day per polling station. This they believe is affecting their members who may not be available within the 6hour period as a result of work schedule and other engagements.

The petition also outlines other conduct the constituency chairman and some executives which they believe affects the morale of the party in the constituency; some of these issues include;

1. The constituency chairman and his executives have sacked the Director of Elections and Research unceremoniously and he is challenging that decision at the moment.

2. They have Sacked the Constituency Deputy Nasara Cordinator

3. They have Suspended the Constituency Assistant Secretary

4. They has Suspended the Constituency Treasurer

5. They have Suspended without hearing, over 20 Party members in the constituency.

6. Our regular engagement and meeting with constituency Executives in our various Electoral areas have been at its lowest and in some communities non existent

7. Polling Station Executives are not engaged in Party activities in any form

8. It was a spectacle at the recent Constituency Conference when the Constituency Treasurer and Assistant Secretary went into a near fist fight with the Constituency Organiser after the constituency Organiser made some unpalatable remarks about them and also announced their suspension.

The members are appealing to the the Regional and National leadership of the NPP for the following;

1. That the Constituency Chairman and his executive immediately reverts to the directive from NEC as enshrined in the Press statement the General Secretary

2. Dispatch all registers to the various Polling Station Chairmen to hold on behalf of the Polling Station Executives

3. Provide Proper education to The 33 Electoral Area Cordinators so they can effectively play their supervisory role.

4. Every Polling Station must have the 20day period for registration as directed or such reasonable time based on turnout and membership population of the polling station in order to ensure all qualified members adjust their schedule so they can be registered.

5. Polling Station Executives should be allowed to properly identify who the members are within the area

According to the members, the intervention leadership of the party on the above will help restore confidence and strengthen party in the constituency which per the electoral results are in the majority since the 2000 elections.

You will recall the Press conference held on 10th September 2021 the General secretary John Boadu on the mass registration and its modalities. The General secretary indicated that
“In accordance with Article 3(10) of the Party Constitution, the membership register shall be kept at the polling station levels. The register shall be updated every six months.

The polling station registers shall be in the custody of polling station executives, who shall avail themselves at a publicized venue in and around the polling station and within the electoral area during the 20-day period of the mass registration. (i.e. from 10th September to 30th September). The exercise at the polling stations shall be supervised the respective polling respective Electoral Area Coordinators, Constituency Executives, Regional Executives and the National Executive Officers.”