The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has directed all Metropolitan, Municipal, District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) who wish to contest as Parliamentary Candidates on the party’s ticket in the 2020 general elections to resign from their current positions in order to be eligible to contest.
According to the General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, the resignation should be at least three years before the ensuing national election in 2020 to avoid challenges.
“The National Council, which is the second-highest decision-making body pursuant to Article 9 B of the party’s constitution, has unanimously resolved that all persons serving as Metropolitan, Municipal, District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) who wish to contest as parliamentary candidates in constituencies where the party has sitting members of Parliament are not illegible to contest unless they resign from their current positions at least three years before the ensuing general elections,” he said.
“We are not going to give you a chance to hold a position to use it for your own advantage and cause a lot of disaffection in the constituency, and wait till a month to primaries and say I am resigning to contest. We have seen such things for far too long,” Mr. Boadu added.
Mr. Boadu indicated that the directive also applies to executives who have ambitions of becoming Members of Parliament.
“The Council also resolved that regional chairpersons, regional secretaries, regional treasurers, constituency chairpersons, constituency secretaries and constituency treasurers, are also not eligible to contest as parliamentary candidates in constituencies where the party has sitting Members of Parliament, unless they resign three years before the national general elections.” he said.
He further clarified that “these decisions only apply to constituencies where the party has sitting Members of Parliament, and does not apply to orphan constituencies- that is constituencies where the party does not have sitting Members of Parliament.”
For many years now, there have often been concerns about the misuse of state funds by MMDCEs to fund their political campaign to become MPs, whiles still serving as MMDCEs.
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
