As the body of the late MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon gets colder in the US, the battle to find his successor is getting hotter in Ghana.

Two camps have formed behind the late Emmanuel Agyarko’s wife Josephine Agyarko and his mistress Lydia Alhassan as fitting replacements.

In the wife’s corner, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) activist, Fred Kwabena Obeng told Joy News Tuesday, grieving Josephine is “someone who can do the job at the moment.”

And yes, yes, yes, she has given her blessing to plans to make her the next MP, Mr. Obeng claimed.

He acknowledged, it is inappropriate to canvass support for the late MP’s wife when funeral rites have not been concluded.

Photo: The late NPP MP Emmanuel Agyarko

Tradition-wise, it is disrespectful show of cold conduct at a time when sorrow should be natural disposition.

True, Mr. Obeng agreed and said they were prepared to focus on mourning but “all of a sudden we just noticed Madam Lydia’s followers have started campaigning for her.”

At that point, the power overpowered funeral traditions and the Josephine camp romped up their efforts.

Lydia Alhassan’s supporter Clement Chamyeyone who has been collecting endorsements from polling station executives said Lydia “resonates with the masses of our people.”

He claimed he has a petition for the party to consider Lydia as worthy successor to the MP who died in the US.

Following the tragedy on November 21, he and others have made a “cursory search” for the next MP and “the baton fell on Lydia,” he said.

No wonder over 500 signatures out of about 700 polling station executives have endorsed his petition, he observed.

Mr. Chamyeyone conceded, however, the missing endorsement for the Lydia Alhassan campaign is Lydia Alhassan.

“We did not seek her consent on the matter,” he admitted.

Since talks of Agyarko’s successor gathered media steam, Lydia has issued a statement supporting tradition than supporting herself.

“I have not expressed an interest in the up-coming bye-elections,” she said.

Yes, she has been approached and yes, she has heard of agitations about her possible candidature.

“My response to them has remained the same; that I be allowed to bury the father of my children in peace and that the time is quite inappropriate for me now to engage in such discussions,” the statement read.

She called on the party at the constituency to tone down on the politics and give the man who loved humanity a befitting funeral.

NPP Deputy General Secretary, Nana Obiri Boahen, has expressed some disappointment over the developing events at the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.

He stressed again that it is traditions over politics.