Appiah-Kubi Baidoo, an aspirant for the Sehwi Akontombra constituency NPP parliamentary primaries, has faced disqualification following the vetting process due to his alleged support for an independent candidate in the district-level election.
A former constituency chairman and District Chief Executive during former President John Agyekum Kuffour’s regime, Appiah-Kubi Baidoo’s disqualification came after two electoral area coordinators submitted a petition against him.
The petition accused the former DCE of betraying the party by causing confusion and going missing in action after the general elections.
The petitioners also highlighted the former DCE’s sponsorship and backing of an independent candidate instead of an NPP aspirant in the recent District Level Elections.
This decision resulted in the loss of the seat to the NDC candidate, marking a significant shift as the Akontombra seat had been held by the NPP for over a decade.
Furthermore, Appiah-Kubi Baidoo faced disqualification for failing to file the nomination form despite picking it up.
The vetting committee based this decision on the discrepancy in the aspirant’s identities, noting that he bore the name Appiah-Kubi Baidoo on all identification cards but presented Thomas Appiah-Kubi Baidoo on the cheques (payment orders) submitted for filing fees and development fees.
The petitioners also accused Appiah-Kubi Baidoo of not actively contributing to party activities beyond paying dues.
Appiah-Kubi Baidoo vehemently denied all allegations following his disqualification and went on to pronounce curses in an attempt to affirm his loyalty.
Meanwhile, other aspirants who were successfully cleared to contest expressed their commitment to winning the primaries and breaking the eight-year government chain in the media.