The General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia has revealed that failed parliamentary candidates who go independent after the November 7 primaries are automatically expelled from the party.
He noted that such persons can no longer be card bearing members of the NDC and would need to reapply before they could be accepted into the party as fresh entrants.
The General Secretary explained that in such cases, the independent candidates are not answerable to the party and are solely on their own downplaying threats by the Northern Regional Chairman of the NDC Sofo Awudu Azorka to drag such persons to court.
According to him, Azorka’s resolve to drag such persons to court is alien to the Constitution of the NDC party as well that of the country wondering where he could draw that authority from.
He explained that under the constitution of the party, independent candidates who hitherto were members of the NDC lose their membership through technicality in view of the fact that the party frowns on such conduct.
The General Secretary of the NDC described the party’s performance in the 2012 elections in the region as the worse since 1992 expressing worry at how the party lost ten seats; nine to the Opposition NPP and one to the CPP.
He said the outcome of the 2012 elections was embarrassing to the party and the president the reason the party this time round is laying emphasis on aspirants’ qualification and track records to make elected persons acceptable by all in their respective communities.
While blaming the abysmal performance of the region on the proliferation of these independent candidates, he observed that the conduct of some parliamentary aspirants played to the advantage of the opposition party.
Mr. Nektia, therefore, appealed to both the victor and the vanquished to work together in the interest of party unity after the primaries.
Source: GhanaWeb
