Three New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwarts have declared their intentions to contest for the party’s Parliamentary seat at the Akan Constituency for election 2024.
They include Alhaji Rashid Bawa, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Alhaji Tanko Yakubu, a Business Development Officer with the Volta Lake Transport and Tassah Safiwu, a farm Manager.
Mr Abdul Sataru Merigah, the Akan NPP Constituency Secretary, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), in an interview at Kadjebi in the Oti Region.
He said the nomination forms for the Orphan constituencies were opened on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, and would close on Thursday, August 10, 2023.
Mr Sataru said the aspiring Parliamentary Candidates were to procure the Nomination Forms after the payment of a non-refundable application fee of Three Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 3,000.00) acceptable in the form of a Bankers Draft in favour of the NPP National Headquarters, Accra.
The Constituency Secretary said successful candidates would then pay a non-refundable filing fee of Thirty-Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH₵35,000.00) to the party again.
He said for the purpose of encouraging more women, youth and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to aspire to higher political office, such prospective aspiring parliamentary candidates would enjoy a rebate of 50 per cent on the filing fees.
This means that they would be required to pay a non-refundable filing fee of Seventeen Thousand, Five Hundred Ghana Cedis (GH₵17,500.00), he said.
When contacted by GNA, Alhaji Yakubu confirmed contesting and said he would pick the nomination form on Friday, July 15, 2023.
Mr Tassah also confirmed contesting and said he would pick up the form within the week.
Mallam Muntala Dawuda, the Spokesperson for H. E Rashid Bawa, when contacted by GNA, said they would pick the nomination form next week.
The NPP shall hold its parliamentary primaries from Saturday, September 23, 2023, to December 2, 2023, for the Orphan Constituencies on a case-by-case basis across the country.