Kwabena Agyepong, the former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, has asked party executives to allow members to choose who they want to vote for in the party’s ongoing polling station executives election.
The acrimony that has characterized the polls, he believes, indicates an attempt to manipulate the process.
“Don’t try to sway the crowd in any way. Allow them to make their own decisions, and there will be no resentment as there has been in the past.
“Let the people choose who should be part of the executives in the party’s grassroots,” he said on Starr Chat Wednesday to Nana Aba Anamoah.
“In the past, when there were polling station elections, you didn’t even hear about it,” he said. A level playing field is required. To gain the confidence of the electorate, provide an enabling atmosphere for everyone. We were able to conduct over 250 parliamentary elections in a single day during our tenure.”
The appeal comes in the wake of the polarization that has enveloped local elections. Some members of the party have accused their national officials of favoritism and bigotry. There have been allegations of unfair disqualifications due to form hijacking.
Meanwhile, the state has filed a lawsuit against 12 prospective New Patriotic Party (NPP) polling station delegates in the Ashanti Region’s Subin Constituency for the illegal closure of the party’s constituency office.
The group locked the party headquarters in protest at the party’s elections committee’s claimed prejudice against them in the polling station election.
Some party members who chose forms to run for various positions in the party at the polling station level, according to the agitated members, have been disqualified.