The New Patriotic Party (NPP’s) failed parliamentary aspirant for the Klottey Korley constituency, Nii Noi Nortey, has finally declared he will contest the November 7 elections as an independent candidate. Nii Noi Nortey’s contender, Philip Addison emerged winner after a re-run of the primary, beating him by a slim margin.
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This was after Nii Noi had won in the previous contest.
His unhappy supporters impressed on him to contest as an independent candidate even though the national leadership pledged to calm tensions there and present a united front for the November 7 contest.
However at a press conference on Wednesday, Nii Noi Nortey announced that after careful consideration, he has finally arrived at a decision to vie for the parliamentary slot, but not on the ticket of the NPP.
“It has gotten to this because the masses, the youth, the voiceless are calling onto Nii Noi Nortey to stand as an independent candidate. I am for the people. I aim to serve the people,†he explained.
He further accused the party of scheming against him.
“What is it there for an organization that cannot protect its own? I have done my part for this party. I have been obedient. I have been respectful… what we got back in return was for a party to go out there and not to defend its actions, what we got back in return was for the party to organize an election just to favour someone else.â€
Addison polled 396 out of the 765 votes cast to beat Nii Noi Nortey, who polled 367 votes.
Posters leaked
Campaign posters indicating that Mr. Nortey will be contesting as an independent candidate in the November 7 election popped up in the constituency ahead of today’s press conference.
Nii Noi Nortey won first primary
Nii Noi had been elected winner in a previous primary held in 2015.
In that primary, Philip Addison, who was lead counsel for the NPP’s 2012 election, polled a meager 22 votes, while Nii Nortey polled 393 votes. Nii Adjei Tawiah, a third contestant, had 19 votes.
But the two were unhappy with the outcome because they had boycotted the election after their demand for a change in the election date was rejected.
They appealed to the party to address their concerns internally, but that failed, forcing them to go to court. Eventually, the ruling by the court although a bit unclear, meant that a re-run was inevitable.
citifmonline.com