The battle between the Ashanti regional branch of the NPP and interested persons who want to contest in the ongoing primaries of the NPP in the orphan constituencies of the region continue to rage on.
About two weeks ago, the regional party issued a communiqué signed by the regional secretary, Mr Samuel Payne which communicated the decision by the Regional Executive Committee to present some candidates unopposed in the orphan constituencies of the region.
The decision seems not to have gone down well with the grassroots of the party. In what appears to be a fierce resistance, some party people who spoke to our reporters vowed to resist REC from carrying out what they called an autocratic decision.
Individuals like Abdul Manaf, who is a vice presidential staffer, has since indicated his unpreparedness to comply with the resolution of REC and proceeded to pick his nomination form from the national secretariat of the party.
Another individual who has made the headlines, is the only female in the contest and the Ejura Sekyeredumase constituency secretary of the party, Ms Gifty Ndoma. She has put up a strong fight to the admiration of many party supporters. She also picked her nomination form and filed in defiance of the resolution of REC at the national headquarters of the party.
In what appears to be a dramatic turn of events this week, Ms Ndoma has been suspended by the party indefinitely – we can report authoritatively. In the letter which was signed by the regional secretary, Mr Samuel Payne which we have copy of, her suspension is as a result of a petition of misconduct against her by her constituency chairman. “I am directed by Regional Executive Committee after its sitting on 29th July, 2019 to notify you of your indefinite suspension from your position as a constituency secretary pending the final outcome of the disciplinary processes which have commenced against your good self on grounds of misconduct as petitioned by your constituency chairman to the Regional Disciplinary Committee”, the letter read.
As at the time of filing this report, Ms Ndoma had filed a strong response which we have intercepted a copy of. In her response, she described her indefinite suspension as illegal. “I find the decision as contained in the said letter of my indefinite suspension to be surprising and illegal” – she stated.
In her opinion, the suspension is part of what she described as a grand scheme to get her out of the competition. “I suspect my illegal indefinite suspension is all part of the grand scheme to obstruct me from contesting to become PC and believe it is a plot in accordance with your resolution to present your preferred candidates uncontested” – she alleged.
She insisted that she will continue to hold herself as constituency secretary of Ejura Sekyere-dumase. Per our independent checks, it appears she is not ready to badge to the pressure from the regional office of the party though she declined to comment on the matter.
The pressure on Ms Ndoma comes at a time when women groups are calling for inclusion of women in politics and decision-making. Recently, the President, Nana Akufo-Addo came under criticisms for his comments about the lack of dynamism and activism by women in an effort to get into the corridors of power. It is not certain yet whether as part of the party’s effort to encourage women, the national headquarters will reverse the decision of the regional office.
Below are copies of the letter of her suspension and her response…..
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