Alfred Kojo Thompson, a senior communications member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has raised concern over the rising number of candidates filing nominations to serve in Parliament.

Inferring from the mad rush of some aspirants to grab a spot at the various constituencies in the Greater Accra Region on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Thompson said that it has become evident that individual interest is prioritized ahead of the national interest and has become a problem challenging the current Parliament.

“It’s becoming a problem with Parliament these days where we all…everybody is complaining and so we need to get people there who will really look at the national interest and not the individual or party interest.”

In a no holds barred conversation with Kwasi Afriyie on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV on Tuesday, 4th April 2023, the NPP Senior Communicationist questioned the processes involved in conducting such vettings.

“Greater Accra, they have 111 people chasing 31 seats, then central region 56 chasing 23 seats. So you see that they are poised for the fact that let’s go there. I’m wondering whether really speaking when we do the vetting we really do it well to make sure that we get the right people or get a square pegs in a square holes”

He alluded also that nominations are seeing an increase of this kind because competent and worthy people of these positions are rejected for known faces and suggested that this has become the norm where these popular people drive the party to victory.

“Yeah, or we just bring people in to just go and fill the seats for us because we are popular, we can win.”

He tasked Members of Parliament to be mindful of the reason they are instituted in Parliament and work accordingly to put forward the country’s interest.

“We have to start working on a nationalistic level rather than party level…you go there on behalf of a party but the first and most important thing is to make sure that you are working for the nation because whatever you go and do there will affect the growth of the nation.”

He, however, urged that parties have to collectively work to see national interest propagated rather than its party.