The Chairperson of the Convention People’s Party (CPP),Nana Akosua Sarpong-Kumankumah, has stated that the party is undecided and unlikely to contest the upcoming by-election in Kumawu Constituency in the Ashanti Region.
“The CPP has not decided and not likely to contest the upcoming by-election in the Kumawu Constituency in the Ashanti Region because the party is focusing on its re-organisation and “will not rush” ahead of the 2024 general election,” she revealed.
Nana Sarpong-Kumankumah explained that currently the party’s focus was on the re-organisation ahead of the 2024 elections to make it formidable, attractive to the youth and focused to make inroads in 2024 and beyond and would not rush to derail the processes.
”Currently our focus is on the re-organisation of our party since we know our limitations and until we do that, we are likely not going to rush into any by-election contest but concentrate on our re-organisation agenda,” she stressed.
The by-election in the Kumawu Constituency has become necessary after the demise of the former Member of Parliament for the area, Philip Basoah, at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital last month in accordance with Article 112 (5) of the 1992 Constitution, as amended and the Electoral Commission (EC) has set May 23, 2023 for the election.
The Commission is expected to receive nomination from prospective candidates from May 2, 2023 to May 5, 2023, the EC has pegged the filing fees for the election at GH¢10,000, receive nominations from prospective candidates for the election of a Member of Parliament (MP) for the said constituency and received at the Sekyere Kumawu District Office of the Commission on the said date.
Already, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had indicated their decision to contest the by-election and whereas the NDC has already selected a candidate for the election, the NPP is expected to hold its primaries on April 23, 2023, to select a candidate to contest on the ticket of the party.
Nana Sarpong-Kumankumah said the party was working to be visible at the grassroots for victory in the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections by making them own the party through mobilisation to be visible on the ground.
In the last parliamentary election in 2020, the late Mr Basoah, who contested on the ticket of the NPP polled 14, 960 votes while his closest contender, Kwaku Duah, an independent candidate polled 11, 698 while the NDC candidate, Bernard Opoku Marfo, polled 2,439 votes.