The newly elected executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Afigya Sekyere East Constituency have strongly opposed the party’s decision to annul the constituency executive elections, maintaining that the process was lawful, transparent, and conducted under the supervision of the appropriate authorities.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, July 16, the Constituency Chairman-elect, Kwaku Ofosu, argued that neither the Ashanti Regional Executive Committee nor any competent court had issued a valid directive preventing the elections from taking place.
According to him, every stage of the electoral process was sanctioned and supervised by the Ashanti Regional Executive Committee, with the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Ghana Police Service providing support throughout the exercise.
Mr. Ofosu also dismissed assertions that the election was held in defiance of a court order, explaining that the interim injunction previously granted by the High Court had lapsed before delegates went to the polls.
“It is an incontrovertible fact that the interim injunction granted by the High Court was limited in duration and subsequently expired. No extension or renewal was secured before the constituency elections were conducted,” he stated.
He stressed that, with no valid court order in force on election day, there was nothing preventing the regional executives, the Electoral Commission, the Ghana Police Service, delegates, or aspirants from participating in the exercise.
“Consequently, there was no subsisting court order restraining the Regional Executive Committee, the Electoral Commission, the Ghana Police Service, delegates, or aspirants from participating in the electoral process,” he said.
Mr. Ofosu further argued that the participation of state institutions was evidence of the legitimacy of the election.
“The elections were conducted under the supervision of officials designated by the party, facilitated by the Electoral Commission of Ghana, and secured by the Ghana Police Service. These state institutions would not have participated in an exercise that was subject to a valid court order prohibiting its conduct,” he emphasized.
The Chairman-elect appealed to the National Executive Committee of the NPP to rescind its decision to invalidate the election results, warning that such a move could erode confidence in the party’s internal democratic processes.
“Such a decision, if allowed to stand, will undermine the express will of over 1,000 delegates who freely exercised their democratic right to elect their leaders,” he said.
“It will also set a dangerous precedent whereby duly conducted internal elections can be invalidated without any proven illegality.”
Calling for dialogue, Mr. Ofosu urged the party leadership to rely on the dispute resolution mechanisms provided under the NPP Constitution instead of nullifying the election.
“We neither organized nor supervised these elections. We merely presented ourselves before the delegates in accordance with the rules of our party. The delegates spoke freely, and the verdict deserves respect,” he stated.
The elected executives concluded by appealing to the party’s national leadership to uphold the mandate given to them by the delegates, safeguard unity within the party, and avoid actions that could deepen divisions at the grassroots ahead of the 2028 general elections.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com
