Politics

Upper West: NDC supporters accuse Bagbin of interfering in DCE selection

Speaker Alban Bagbin

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has been accused by a collective of dissatisfied persons of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) members in the Nadowli-Kaleo Constituency of the Upper West Region of attempting to impose a District Chief Executive (DCE) nominee on the area.

During a press briefing on Monday at Nadowli, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Frederick Kaninge, Constituency Organiser, severely denounced what he explained as “blatant interference” in the democratic selection process.

He insisted that Alban Bagbin was avoiding the internal procedures of the party to break through a candidate who was not able to make the shortlist of three nominees recommended by the Regional Vetting Committee.

Mr. Kaninge stated that “It has been drawn to our attention that the Right Honorable Speaker is frantically attempting to outmaneuver the legitimate voting process authorized by the party, all in a desperate bid to force a candidate who did not make it to the list of three nominee .”

Mr Kaninge described the alleged actions of the Speaker as a betrayal of the party faithful and an undermining our internal democratic processes. He also warned that such improper interference could create instability in the party and erode confidence of party members in the selection process.

Mr Kaninge again said that “If we don’t put a a stop this this kind of conduct immediately, it will destabilise the peace and unity of our calm and peace-loving constituency. We will not sit around doing nothing by and watch the selfish interests of a few individuals destroy the heart and cohesion of our party.”

The group reaffirmed its confidence in the operation of the Regional Vetting Committee, by saying that the shortlisted candidates were meticulously chosen according to how loyal they are, proven commitment to the principles of the party and their expertise in local government operations. They also persisted in their assertion that any attempt to push aside these candidates in favor of an unqualified individual was completely intolerable.

He expressed that “ We must uphold the principles of democracy within our party. This is not the time for autocratic behavior. The people of Nadowli-Kaleo deserve chosen based representatives through a fair and transparent process. ”