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The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has cleared 2 disqualified Parliamentary aspirants to contest in the party’s upcoming parliamentary primaries. Last year, a five-member vetting committee barred the two candidates from contesting in the parliamentary primaries in the Sefwi-Akontombra constituency.
The two are Mr. Herod Cobbina, a former NDC Member of Parliament for the Sefwi-Akontombra constituency, and Mr. Mumuni Issah, the NDC 2020 parliamentary candidate for the same area.
When the nomination was opened last year, four persons picked nomination forms, but only three of them filed at the close of nominations to contest. However, after vetting, Mr Pius Kwame Nkuah, former District Chief Executive for Sefwi-Akontombra was cleared to contest while Mr Herod Cobbina and Mr. Mumuni Issah were disqualified by the five-member vetting committee.
The vetting committee, composed of Dr. Tanko Computer (NEC Member), Kingsley Bennie Sq (Legal Team Member), Michael Aidoo (NDC, Western North Regional Chairman), George O. Danquah (NDC, Western North Regional Secretary), and Ofosu Adawia (Council of Elders Member) scrutinized the qualifications of the three aspirants. After deliberation, the vetting committee determined that Pious K. Nkuah was qualified to run, but Mumuni Issah and Herod Cobbina were both disqualified.
Following the disqualification, Mr George Ofori Danquah, Western North Regional Secretary of the NDC, stated that the affected candidates had the opportunity to appeal their cases. The two disqualified aspirants felt their disqualification violated the party’s guidelines, therefore they petitioned the regional appeals committee for redress. The regional appeals committee after its hearing upheld the decision of the constituency vetting committee. Not pleased with their decision, the two disqualified aspirants submitted a petition to the national executive committee of the party.
A special committee was formed to look into matters relating to the party’s outstanding parliamentary primaries at the national level investigated the case and submitted its report to the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) sometime last year. On Tuesday, January 16, FEC met to deliberate on the report’s content. After its review, the two disqualified aspirants were cleared to compete in the next NDC Parliamentary primaries in the Sefwi-Akontombra Constituency on a yet-to-be-fixed date.
From Awake News’ independent investigation, it does appear that some powerful forces tried to help Mr. Pius Kwame Nkuah to run unopposed. Thankfully, justice has been served. The Asiedu Nketia and Fifi Fiavi Kwetey-led National Executive Committee appear to tell party members at all levels that, no individual is bigger than the party’s interest.
