Per the information available has it that the New Patriotic
Party has indicated that it has written to Parliament seeking the expulsion of
its Member of Parliament for Fomena, Amoako Andrew Asiamah from the august
house.
In a statement signed by General Secretary John Boadu, the
party says the MP by his decision to contest as an independent candidate in the
2020 December elections has forfeited his seat in parliament, as his actions in
essence breaches article 97 (1)(g) of the 1992 constitution.
“The Party has noted that the Member of
Parliament for the Fomena Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Amoako
Andrew Asiamah, who was elected to Parliament on the ticket of the Party has
filed to contest as an Independent Parliamentary Candidate. By so doing, he has
presumably vacated his Seat in Parliament pursuant to Article 97(1)(g) of the
1992 Constitution of the Republic.
For the avoidance of doubt, Article 97(1)(g) of the
Constitution states that:
‘A member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in
Parliament if he leaves the party of which he was a member at the time of his
election to Parliament to join another party or seeks to remain in Parliament
as an independent member.’
The Party has therefore taken the necessary steps to inform
the Speaker of Parliament of the above circumstances, for appropriate action to
be taken,” portions of the release reads.
In the same vein, the NPP in the release served notice that
under Article 3(9) of the party Constitution, any member who decided to file as
an Independent Parliamentary Candidate in the upcoming elections has
automatically forfeited their membership from the very day they filed with the
Electoral Commission.
Further, the NPP says, “any member of the Party
who supports or campaigns for an Independent Parliamentary Candidate ahead of
the forthcoming general elections also automatically forfeits his/her
membership of the NPP”.
The Party has, however, commended its members who
may have contemplated contesting as independent candidates but have given up
their plans and made specific mention of the Member of Parliament for Akwatia,
Mercy Adu-Gyamfi, popularly known as Ama Sey “for paying heed to wise counsel
and deciding not to file as Independent Candidate but to rather support the
Party’s 2020 Parliamentary Candidate for the Akwatia Constituency, Mr Ernest
Yaw Kumi, to retain the Akwatia Seat”.
Ahead of the December 2020 general elections, some
disgruntled NPP members, mostly those disqualified from contesting in the
party’s parliamentary primaries have filed nominations to contest as
independent candidates in their respective constituencies.
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