Justin Kodua Frimpong, the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said that there will be no special dispensation for incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) who intend to contest the party’s upcoming primaries.
Mr Frimpong said the era where certain MPs were protected and not allowed to be contested is over.
Speaking on Kumasi-based Angel FM, the NPP general secretary said that no candidate would be allowed to go unopposed in the primaries.
According to him, the move was part of lessons derived from the 2020 elections where the party lost a number of seats to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He explained that even in cases where a candidate would not be contested, the party would leave the window for the declaration of intent and purchase of forms opened until the deadline.
He was confident that the practice would help instill unity in the party and prevent the acrimony that usually came with such arrangement.
“For the parliamentary primaries, nobody will go unopposed. We will not protect anyone. We are not going to give any considerations.
It will not happen. We will open the door for any member who qualifies to stand for the elections.
“If you work hard and the constituents express confidence in you that you should go unopposed, then fine. Even with that, nominations will be opened until closing date.
The practice of protecting people did not help us in 2020. These are some of the measures we are implementing to bring peace and unity in the party,” he said.
He also disclosed that the party has opened its doors to some disgruntled members who left to compete as independent candidates in the 2020 elections.
Mr Frimpong added that the party was determined to heal the wounds of the previous elections and go into the 2024 elections with a united front.
The party has set January 31, 2023 to decide on the date for its presidential and parliamentary primaries.
