A parliamentary candidate hopeful, Edward Kofi Osei has opted out of the incoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) Kumawu primary.
The Danquah Smith Buttey-led committee raised concerns about the former managing director of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) over his dual citizenship, therefore the vetting process was suspended.
But even before he had till Wednesday (19 April) to present his case, the candidate declared he would no longer run for office. Osei believes this decision is in the best interest of the party.
At a press conference, he stated, “I resigned to bring a sense of calmness to Kumawu and the NPP. I am a citizen of Ghana and also hold a United States passport.
“I was confident of receiving my letter of renunciation by the 5 May deadline. But my party was worried if that did not happen and so as a lawyer, I have decided, after several consultations, to withdraw my candidature.”
Despite having dual citizenship, Osei contested in the Kumawu 2020 primaries but lost to the late Philip Basoah.
He said, “this was possible because, under our Supreme Court interpretation of Article 94(2a) of the Ghana Constitution which talks about owing allegiance to another country, Republic V High Court Ex Parte Zenator Rawlings affirmed that a person must qualify as an MP at the time they submit their form to the EC.
“When the EC has not opened nomination, a person cannot be disqualified. The election was held on 20 June 20 2020 and the EC opened nominations on 9 October 2020, a whole five months. So, If I had won the primaries in 2020 there will have been a whole five months to prove my eligibility in 2020.”
Meanwhile, the battle lines have been formed, with each of the six candidates choosing different positions on the ballot for the April 23 contest. The ruling NPP released the list early Wednesday (18 April) to allow candidates to ramp up their campaigns ahead of the elections.
The winner will contest the ticket of the party in the constituency by-election in the Ashanti Region.
The party’s exercise is to replace the late Philip Basoah, MP for Kumawu, who died in the early hours of Tuesday, March 28 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Parliament, before adjourning sine die for the Easter holidays, notified the Electoral Commission (EC) of the need to conduct a by-election in the Kumawu Constituency following the death of Philip Basoah, the NPP MP for the area.
The date for the by-election has been set by the EC for May 23.
Basoah, 53, was a member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
