Some polling station executives and electoral area coordinators of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Abirem in the Eastern Region, say the governing party risks voter apathy there in upcoming general elections.

The group says some constituency and regional executive members deliberately disqualified two other parliamentary aspirants who showed up to contest the sitting Member of Parliament, John Osei Frimpong.

Addressing the media at a news conference in Abirim on Tuesday, spokesperson of the group, Patrick Annin, who doubles as Polling Station Secretary for the Hwaekwae Electoral Area, cautioned the development could create disaffection in the constituency.

"There is a seeming cabal determined to unjustly eliminate two main parliamentary aspirants from the Abirim parliamentary primaries namely Mr. Frank Ahemah Mireku and Daniel Kwadwo Afrifa.

"What we the Concerned Polling Station Executives are seeking for, is a fair playing ground and we insist the party allows the contest in the constituency," Mr. Annin.

He posited that, the NPP is a democratic party that believes in the principle of rule of law hence, the national executives must grant the Abirem Constituency a contest in order to foster unity at the grass roots.

The group added that, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo faced keen contests from 2007 till 2015 in the party’s presidential primaries, before he was made the party's presidential candidate and subsequently won the 2016 general elections.

"For the records, Mr Osei Frimpong contested Esther Obeng Dapaah who was a sitting Member of Parliament and Minister of Mines and Forestry. At the time, no constituency, regional or national officer disqualified Mr. Osei Frimpong from contesting a Minister of State and a Cabinet Member," he stated.

He was baffled why Mr. Osei Frimpong was given a levelled-playing field to contest Esther Obeng Dapaah on three consecutive times before he secured the slot to become MP for the area but now people have not been allowed to contest him.

Patrick Annin called on the NPP leadership to take lessons from the 2008 elections where many parliamentary aspirants were roughly disqualified, fueling apathy which resulted in the party losing key parliamentary seats and the subsequent defeat to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the general elections.

"We pray that we manage these primaries well in order to forestall disaffection in the general elections because, we believe that when we have a contest and whoever wins, will bring all of us together to increase the margin of votes between the NPP and NDC," he added.