The youth wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Akim Oda Constituency of the Eastern Region is up in arms against any attempt by the party’s leadership to allow the sitting member of parliament to run unopposed.
Clad in white with red headbands, the group, at a press conference on Sunday, January 7th, 2024, argued that if a free and fair contest is not permitted for all of the party’s well-meaning members, the party’s dream of breaking the eight may not see the light of day.
As a result, they voiced their dissatisfaction with the Eastern Regional NPP Vetting Committee for delaying the clearance of parliamentary candidate hopeful, Dennis Obeng Agyei, popularly called DENSA (#JoyIsComing), after his vetting process because of a petition that some constituency executives had submitted opposing his candidacy.
Mr. Clement Attafuah, convenor of the youth wing, presiding member of the Birim Central Municipal Assembly, and area coordinator for the Oda NPP, addressed the media during a news conference held in front of the party office of the Oda NPP and refuted all of the accusations.
Hon. Clement Attafuah recounted some of the accusations made in the petition submitted by the constituency executives, detailing that they accused Mr. Denis of being the driving force behind the market women’s protests against the local government and the sitting MP over the catastrophe at their market.
He says that in the aforementioned petition, Mr. Danis was accused of inciting the people of Akyem Aboabo to protest against the NPP and the Member of Parliament (MP), Hon. Alexander Akwasi Acquah.
Mr. Clement made it quite evident that none of these accusations are true.
He reiterated that Mr. Danis was accused of insulting the sitting MP; meanwhile, the incident occurred in 2021 and was resolved; therefore, they cannot utilize it against the sole contender in the Akyem Oda primary.
According to him, the group would fiercely resist any move by the leadership of the party not to allow Dennis Obeng Agyei to contest in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Parliamentary candidate hopeful, Dennis Obeng Agyei, popularly called DENSA (#JoyIsComing),
The Sole Contender Is Not Disqualified.
Additionally, Mr. Clement Attafuah disclosed that the seven committee members of the Eastern Regional NPP Vetting Committee on Thursday, January 4, 2024, at Koforidua, were pressuring their candidate to resign in order to retain the incumbent MP unopposed, but the candidate refused to comply.
He said that in spite of all the difficulties encountered during the vetting process, the committee did not disqualify their candidate and rather forwarded the case to the constituency disciplinary committee for resolution.
He further stated that the lack of a party disciplinary committee in the Akyem Oda constituency is another reason why the “DENSA” followers are dissatisfied with the vetting committee’s ruling.
That, in his opinion, is just another tactic to prevent “DENSA” from contesting.
In order to investigate the situation and exonerate their candidate, Mr. Clement Attafuah announced that an appeal letter had been submitted to the party’s national appeals committee.
Heartfelt Request.
As a result, Mr. Clement Attafuah urges DENSA followers to maintain their composure, as an appeal letter has been delivered.
He says that DENSA has been serving the party with diligence and that the delegates should be rewarding him since he has a good vision for the party.
He therefore urges the National Appeals Committee to permit Dennis Obeng Agyei, also known as DENSA (#JoyIsComing), to continue running for the parliamentary primary.
Meanwhile, some of the supporters of DENSA have threatened that the majority of the members of the party in the constituency would either boycott the 2024 general elections or vote skirt and blouse if the incumbent MP was allowed to contest unopposed.
