Recent claims made by supporters of Hudu Mogtari and others have raised questions about how Dr. Rashid Pelpuo became the parliamentary candidate for the Wa Central constituency. The claims suggest that he ousted his predecessor, M.A Seidu, from the position. However, a closer look at the facts shows that this is not the case.
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines “oust” as “to remove or takeaway something from someone.” In the context of politics, this usually means removing someone from office via polls or ballot. In Ghana’s constitutional democracy, this is the only legitimate way to change leaders. It is not acceptable to use undemocratic means, such as force or violence, to remove someone from office.
Did Dr. Rashid Pelpuo ever compete against M.A Seidu in an election? The answer is no. There is no historical record of such a contest in the old Wa constituency, even in the incoherent arguments put forth by those claiming that Pelpuo ousted Seidu. Therefore, the conclusion that Pelpuo ousted Seidu is baseless and irrational.
In fact, the old Wa constituency was dissolved before the 2004 general elections, and two new constituencies – Wa Central and Wa West – were created. The legal backings for these constituencies are entirely distinct from the old order that created the Wa constituency. It is wrong to refer to either Wa Central or Wa West as the old Wa constituency, just as it would be wrong to refer to one half of an orange as the complete fruit.
The real story is that shortly after the creation of Wa Central constituency, M.A Seidu declared that he would not contest the seat because his hometown was in Wa West. Dr. Rashid Pelpuo was then invited by the constituency chairman to contest the primaries, as he was the only person who had shown interest in the position on previous occasions.
In 1996, the Youth of Wa orchestrated a contest, but Dr. Rashid Pelpuo declined to run against his former teacher, M.A Seidu. In 2000, he took positive steps and made preparations to contest Seidu, but the latter withdrew from the contest.
In light of these facts, it is clear that Dr. Rashid Pelpuo did not oust M.A Seidu from the parliamentary seat in Wa Central constituency. Claims to the contrary are baseless and should not be taken seriously.