Fighting Over A Dead Man’s Legacy?

The reported tension in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over who, between the two wives of the late Member of Parliament of the area, Hon. Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko, is most eligible to replace him in parliament, is one of the most nauseating pieces of political news in recent times.

Mr. Agyarko passed away on November 21,2018, in the US, after a prolonged illness, and is yet to be buried, but barely three weeks after his shocking demise, some gluttonous party people are tearing the family apart with their political greed. 

On Monday, a section of the constituents, who were clamouring for his ‘younger’ widow, Lydia Alhassan Agyarko, shamelessly stormed the NPP headquarters with placards saying she was their preferred choice

“We believe that Mama Lydia is the one who has been with us through thick and thin. She was actively involved in the 2016 elections, and she was able to bring on board people who were not necessarily NPP people and that widened the margin. We believe she has the resources, and she is the type of candidate that will unite all the people in the constituency to bring us victory when we go for this by election,”one Nii Lantey Lamptey, reportedly told the media.

However, another group, comprising some polling station executives and students of the University of Ghana and GIMPA,said they loved the late MP’s senior wife, Josephine Nana Baiden Agyarko. 

The group, calling itself Concerned Delegates of Ayawaso West Wuogon, also reportedly petitioned the leadership of the party, requesting that only the first wife, Naana, be allowed to contest the upcoming by-elections on the ticket of the party.

The petition, captioned NO NAANA AGYARKO, NO VOTE, read: Weare a group of over 500 delegates and we are from all the 11 electoral areas namely, Legon Electoral area A, Legon Electoral B, Mempeasem Electoral area,Dzorwulu Electoral area, Okponglo Electoral area, Airport Electoral area,Christian Centre Electoral area, Abelernkpe Electoral area, Tesano Electoral area, Westlands Electoral area, East legon Electoral area. We are from all the 137 polling stations in the constituency.  Over the last days since we lost our Member of Parliament, Hon. Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko and some people from his quarters have started pushing for one Lydia Alhassan, a“supposed second wife” of the late Hon. Agyarko be made the Parliamentary candidate of our Party ahead of the bye-elections….”

According to them, they would boycott the by-elections should the party fail to present, their preferred choice as the parliamentary candidate for the area.

 Even though Mrs. Lydia Alhassan Agyarko had issued a press statement dissociating herself from the virtual invasion of the party headquarters in her name, THE PUBLISHER is of the view that the reported clamour had already done some indelible damage to the party.

Certainly, some top party people are behind the two incidents, and must bow their heads in shame. By their selfish acts, they have put the NPP in bad light, making the party look like a dynasty.

The paper again finds it appalling that even students of the University of Ghana, who are supposed to know better, by virtue of their level of education, have allowed themselves to be so misused.

In our view, the party can redeem its image if it takes drastic action against those who want to hold the party to ransom, and destroy the legacies of Hon. Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko.

Enough of this political greed.