Tension is mounting within the Upper East Regional branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) following allegations of irregularities in the nomination and vetting process for the Regional Youth Organizer election.
Some party members have accused the Regional Election Committee of inconsistencies in handling the nomination and qualification of aspirants, raising concerns about the credibility of the process.
The controversy reportedly began after two aspirants—Mr. Akumbo Awintariba Samuel, popularly known as Wakiki, from the Kusaug area, and Mr. Jonathan Abugre Amaltinga from Bongo—picked nomination forms to contest the Regional Youth Organizer position.
According to party members, the Regional Election Committee initially disqualified Mr. Awintariba on grounds that he had exceeded the maximum age limit of 40 years required for the position.
However, following an appeal, the National Appeals Committee reportedly overturned the decision and cleared him to contest, ruling that he met the age requirement.
Party faithfuls claim that despite the Appeals Committee’s decision, the Regional Election Committee subsequently announced the disqualification of both Mr. Awintariba and Mr. Amaltinga, rendering them ineligible to contest the election.
Following their disqualification, the committee allegedly reopened nominations for less than one hour, during which Mr. Bashiru Akparibo picked a nomination form.
Mr. Akparibo has alleged that although he arrived at the party office before the 2:00 p.m. deadline to submit his nomination forms, no officials were available to receive them. He claimed he had to contact party executives before someone eventually arrived to accept his documents.
Party members further alleged that while all other aspirants underwent physical vetting, Mr. Akparibo was vetted virtually via Zoom by the Regional Election Committee, a move they say has raised questions among the party’s rank and file.
Mr. Akparibo was later disqualified after receiving a letter from the committee stating that he picked his nomination form at 2:04 p.m., four minutes after the stipulated deadline.
The controversy has deepened over the candidature of the incumbent Regional Youth Organizer, Mr. Salau-ddeen Musah.
According to party members, Mr. Musah had earlier filed to contest the Regional Secretary position, underwent vetting and was assigned the number one position on the ballot. They allege that following the disqualification of the two Youth Organizer aspirants, he picked another nomination form during the reopened nomination period and was subsequently cleared to contest the Youth Organizer position unopposed.
Some youth members have described the development as unfair, questioning how an aspirant for one regional executive position could later be cleared to contest another position in the same election while other aspirants were disqualified over procedural issues.
The aggrieved party faithfuls have threatened to embark on demonstrations if the matter is not addressed.
They are calling on the Upper East Regional Executive Committee and the National Leadership of the NPP to intervene and review the nomination and vetting process to safeguard the integrity of the party ahead of the 2028 general election.
The Regional Election Committee had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
