…Never Withdrew From Ayawaso West Wuogon By-Election; Agents Endorse Pink Sheets
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been exposed hugely for their double standard and lies over the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election which saw their heavy defeat.
The NDC, on the day of voting announced to the whole world the party’s withdrawal from Ayawaso Wuogon by-election but later in the day, after the voting process, the party’s agents have all signed the pink sheets to certify the results, even though their party claimed to have pull out.
The Chairman of the NDC, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, who accused the NPP for using masked thugs to disturb the peace of the elections claimed the party had, in consultation with Mr Delali K. Brempong, the candidate who led the NDC to lose in 2016, and this time too had withdrawn from the race following the shooting incident at Brempong’s residence and alleged assault on party members.
Ofosu-Ampofo alleged that eight of their members were injured with two of them being in critical condition.
He also claimed that the presence of some members of the security unit, which was involved in the incident at other polling stations, was intimidating to their agents.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commissioner (EC) Madam Jean Mensah exposed this lies by the NDC. According to her, the NDC “did not pull out of the poll” as they made Ghanaians to believe.
It has become obvious that Ofosu become and his NDC were just making those empty claims to put dust into the public and to create a bad image of government in the eyes of the international community.
Madam Jean Mensa said, although national executives of the opposition NDC held a press conference and stated categorically that the name of the NDC candidate was not taken off the ballot.
It was also revealed that the NDC did not officially inform the Electoral Commission before making such lies to the public that they have withdrawn.
“We’re not aware that the candidate withdrew from the polls. We were not informed officially that the NDC candidate has withdrawn from the polls. What we were informed was that the agent of the party had been withdrawn from the polling station,” she revealed.
Deputy Commissioner Samuel Tetteh noted that candidates who wanted to be withdrawn had to do that before the ballots are printed, and that agents could be withdrawn and replaced at any time during the electoral process.
It is interesting that the signed pink sheets which were endorsed by NDC agents gave credence to the EC response that NDC pull out via a press conference and if their candidate had won, he would have been preparing to take office.
In another development the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) “from which my Government was born, would never dream of competing with any other political party in unleashing violence on the Ghanaian people”.
His response came after former President John Dramani Mahama who has arrogated to himself the flag bearer position of the NDC even before the party’s congress to elect a flag bearer, said the NDC will match the NPP boot for boot in the 2020 elections.
Mahama is also heard saying that the NDC is the party with the most violent posture and people who can cause mayhem and bloodshed.
However, President Akufo-Addo said the NPP will not compete the NDC in any violence to unleash chaos on the people.
Reacting to the shooting incident, President Nana Akufo-Addo, in a statement, said: “The isolated incident of violence, which occurred in the early stages of the election, was unfortunate and regrettable, and I condemn it in no uncertain terms.”
He congratulate Lydia Seyram Alhassan on her emphatic victory in Thursday’s by-election, in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency saying “the electorate in the constituency has made an excellent choice, and I am confident she will serve their interests in Parliament with distinction.”
“It is important also to state that the New Patriotic Party, the party from which my Government was born, would never dream of competing with any other political party in unleashing violence on the Ghanaian people. Our policy, as espoused by the founding father of our political tradition, is “to liberate the energies of the people for the growth of a property-owning democracy in this land, with right to life, freedom and justice as the principles to which the Government and laws of the land should be dedicated in order specifically to enrich life, property and liberty of each and every citizen”, and that is what my Government is doing,” he said.
The NPP as a party also condemned John Mahama for his comments and stated that “The NPP, in the light of this, condemns unreservedly, the comments of former President John Dramani Mahama, who is threatening to unleash mayhem in the country in election 2020. The former president clearly admitted the violent nature of his party and emphatically stated that ‘when it comes to unleashing violence, no one can beat the NDC in unleashing violence’,” the NPP said in a statement signed by its General Secretary. “
General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu in a statement stated that “We wish to tell the former president that the NPP is not, will not, and cannot compete with his NDC in unleashing violence on the Ghanaian people. Of course, unlike them, we, in the NPP, do not have a revolutionary root, as he stated. We, however, wish to remind the former president and his NDC that citizens reserve the right to defend themselves even as the security agencies are always poised to deal with trouble causers in accordance with law.”