Former Member of Parliament for Upper Manya Krobo in Eastern Region, Jeff Tetteh Kavianu failed to file his nomination forms at both constituency and regional offices after several efforts since Monday proved unsuccessful.
The former MP charged that the party executives staged a comeback to deny his nomination form as he attempted to challenge the incumbent MP Bismark Tetteh Nyarko, whom he had lost to in the primaries four years prior.
After rushing to the Eastern Regional Secretariat of the NDC to register a claim that the Upper Manya krobo constituency office has been shut since Sunday, March 19, 2023, after the MP filed his candidacy paperwork, the clearly concerned former legislator was observed stuck there on Wednesday.
His dreams were dashed when he arrived at the Regional Secretariat at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 to find no one there to accept the paperwork.
“I was at the constituency office Monday which nomination was to be filed, the office had been locked from Monday till today and I called the Regional secretary which is in the person of Baba Jamal Konneh that this is the message of what we have been witnessing at Asesewa constituency office and he asked me I should continue going to the office and I was giving him feedback .He asked that if they fail to accept then I should come to the Regional office to submit my forms”
He continued “…and I started calling him [Regional Secretary] yesterday he failed to answer my calls, text messages, WhatsApp messages he has since not answered my calls .I have been here [Regional Secretariat] since morning to submit my forms unfortunately the administrators are here and I came to meet Vice Chairman Hon. Ransford Boakye. The Regional Secretary instructed the administrators not to receive the forms that no form should be submitted at the regional level “Jeff expressed his displeasure.
He displayed copies of the completed nomination form and other supporting documents, as well as proof that the Ghc40,000 filing fee had been paid at the Bank.
In order to prevent implications for unity in the Upper Manya Krobo seat, Jeff Tetteh Kavianu urged the National Chairman and General Secretary of the NDC to step in right away.
Due to his outstanding performance in terms of developmental interventions in the areas of education, health, road rehabilitation, women's empowerment, provision of police stations and streetlights, among others, the Upper Manya Krobo Constituency Executives of the NDC declared their support for Bismark Tetteh Nyarko prior to the opening of nominations this year.
The constituency executives proceeded to give the MP a cheque for Ghc6,000 to pay for the nomination form.
The Upper Manya Krobo constituency is an NDC stronghold, but in 2016, then-opposition NPP candidate Joseph Tetteh defeated then-incumbent NDC MP Jeff Tetteh Kavianu with 10,544 votes, or 42,67%, to win the seat for the party for the first time since 1992.
Discord and discontent among the constituents were blamed for the loss.
In the 2020 parliamentary election, Bismark Tetteh Nyarko of the NDC won with 14,967 votes, or 54.04%, defeating Joseph Tetteh of the NPP, who was the incumbent MP at the time, with 12,307 votes, or 44.44%.