Protests over alleged removal of Nii Noi followers from NPP register

Scores of New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters in the Klottey Korley constituency besieged the party’s headquarters in protest of what they say are attempts to expunge persons who supported independent candidate Nii Noi Nortey in the 2016 elections, from polling registers.

Some party members are said to have resisted attempts to keep Nii Noi Nortey’s supporters on the NPP register.

A party member at the scene who spoke to Citi News said: “some people want to support Nii Noi so the other party is saying we should remove those people from the register so we had a call from our coordinator that we should meet here today so we came to meet the General Secretary.”

However, after meeting the acting General Secretary, the NPP member, said the agitating members were told “nobody can be removed from the register. Everybody has the chance to be in the register.”

Beyond this, the party member also said it would not be possible to prove who were actual supporters of Nii Noi Nortey.

“Actually, we don’t know them so you can’t point out someone who went to support one person or the other. When people were going to vote, no one followed them. So you can’t look at faces and say this person went and supported Ni Noi so I am removing that person’s name.”

Background

In May 2017, Nii Noi Nortey, a former NPP Constituency Chairman for Klottey Korley, apologized to the NPP for contesting as an independent candidate.

He said circumstances beyond his control compelled him to reject the advice of the then flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, in the run-up to the 2016 elections.

Nii Noi Nortey

Nii Noi Nortey contested the elections in an independent capacity after a disputed primary which saw him lose against Philip Addison.

He accused Lawyer Addison and some party executives for rigging the election after a second primary was called.

Nii Noi Nortey had won the first primary overwhelmingly amidst a boycott from the other candidates over the election date.

Source: Citifmonline