Following the decision of the governing National Democratic Congress’ candidate for Upper West Akyem, Joseph Sam Amankwanor, not to seek re-election in the 2016 parliamentary poll, the party has announced a timetable to elect a new candidate.

Mr Amankwanor communicated his intention to withdraw from the race to his party, despite securing the mandate in November 2015 to contest again for the seat he first won in 2012. The MP cited personal reasons for his withdrawal, but the move appeared to have been linked to reports that he held Ghanaian and American nationality, the subject of a petition by a youth group in his constituency to the leadership of the NDC, for his removal as parliamentary candidate.

Persons holding dual nationality are barred under Ghana’s laws from contesting for public office.

Speaking on Accra100.5FM’s Ghana Yensom Thursday June 23, the Eastern regional chairman of the NDC, Tawiah Boateng, said the party had opened nominations on Thursday June 23 until Wednesday June 29, with vetting of aspirants to be held on June 30. Voting has been scheduled for July 6.

Mr Boateng said the party needed to hasten the process of selecting a new candidate due to the crowded political timetable. The exhibition of the voter’s register will be from July 18 to August 7, and the filing of nominations with the Electoral Commission (EC) will be from September 1 – 2, 2016.

Aside from meeting the EC’s deadlines, he said the party had its own activities to undertake. “We are coming to launch our campaign, we will introduce our parliamentary candidates, we will be holding a capacity-building [exercise] for all our parliamentary candidates in the Eastern Region, among others, so we are limited for time,” he told show host Chief Jerry Forson. “So, we must do everything quickly as our timetable dictates and hope nothing distracts us.”

He was grateful for the service rendered by Mr Amankwanor to the party and the constituency, saying he had attracted several development projects into the area and successfully lobbied for Adeiso to be made the capital of the district.