Two people have lodged a petition with the Upper East Regional Executive Committee of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) demanding the suspension of the party’s constituency chairman for Pusiga, Issaka Seidu.
The suspension request comes after the constituency chairman was seen in a video vigorously campaigning for the presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, at a public gathering in Pusiga ahead of the December polls.
The two petitioners, Jamal Mumuni Bature and Issah Mashud, referenced several provisions in the party’s constitution to justify their petition and to back their suspension chorus.
They also stated that the party’s parliamentary candidate for the constituency, Hanan Aludiba Abdul-Wahab, was present at the gathering and endorsed the constituency chairman’s “unconstitutional act” with applause against the NPP’s presidential candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia.
“In fact, he was all smiles, clapping in support of that unconstitutional act, and excited about the campaign against the presidential candidate of the party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,” they said.
The duo expressed the view that both the constituency chairman and the parliamentary candidate had forfeited their party membership by their own “anti-party” actions.
”There appears to be a grand scheme in the Pusiga Constituency to relegate the campaign of the presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to the back and focusing the campaign in that constituency on only the parliamentary candidate of the party, Hanan Aludiba Abdul-Wahab,” they noted in the third paragraph of the five-page petition.
Watch below a subtitled copy of the video wherein the constituency chairman speaks in Kusaal to his audience:
When contacted by Media Without Borders on this matter on Tuesday (yesterday) by phone, the constituency chairman declined to comment.
“I don’t think you will get me on that issue,” he responded and said he would get back to this media outlet, but he had not kept his word at press time.
On his part, the parliamentary candidate told Media Without Borders the accusations filed against him were false.
“All I can say is it’s not true. My official report will come out on the 7th of December,” he replied in a telephone interview.
The party’s regional chairman, Anthony Namoo, confirmed the executive committee had received the petition pending a hearing.
“We are yet to meet on it,” he said. “I can only say we have received it. Those involved have to respond to it.”
“But of course, we have to investigate certain preliminary issues before we see whether it is worth dealing with or not.”
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana
