Communications Director of the National Democratic Congress in the Upper West Akyem Constituency in the Eastern Region, Mr. Francis Bonsi has asked Members of Parliament in the New Patriotic Party who were defeated in last Saturday’s Primaries to try going as an Independent candidate to try their strength and weakness.
According to him, the defeat of MP’s who are in their first term was unprecedented and challenged those who believe that they were not treated well by delegates and the party to go in December polls as an Independent candidate.
Speaking on the NPP’s Primaries, Mr. Francis Bonsi alleged that those who were defeated do not have money to induce delegates and he was shocked for the victory of some government Appointees who joined the race and won.
Mr. Bonsi was optimistic that the defeat of 40 incumbents clearly shows that Ghanaians reject more NPP MP’s and the president in December polls.
The communications officer predicted defeat for most cabinet ministers who went unopposed in the Primaries.
He alleged that most winners bought votes in the Primaries and called on Ghanaians to demand money and items from NPP candidates who induced party delegates to win the seat before voting for them in December polls.
The losing aspirant in the governing New Patriotic Party’s Tema East parliamentary race, Mr. Benjamin Ashitey Armah, has said while he gave each of the 767 delegates that voted in the internal polls GH¢550, his main contender, the incumbent MP, Mr. Daniel Titus-Glover, gave each delegate a tabletop fridge and GH¢1,000.
Mr. Titus-Glover polled 522 votes to beat Mr. Ashitey Armah, who got 233 votes out of a total ballot of 755.
Mr. Armah in an interview said “I use the little resources I have to do my politics”, adding: “I was able to give each delegate GH¢550”.
“He [Titus-Glover] gave each delegate a tabletop fridge, GH¢1000, and even went the extra mile to give some delegates in my stronghold an extra GH¢500”, he alleged.
In a related development; Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, the victor in the Anyaa Sowutuom parliamentary race of the governing New Patriotic Party, has revealed that he spent more than GH¢1 million in cash on his delegates.
“In all honesty, what has brought me here cannot be quantified in terms of money because there are some kind gestures you accord people that cannot be quantified because, at the time that that person needed that help, it meant everything to them. To even speak from the medical standpoint, the operations I’ve done for patients in terms of free medical services to date, alone, I think have cost my hospital well over GH¢200,000. I’ve done several consultations without charging anything”.
“I can cite one example where a patient went to some other hospital and was given a bill of almost GH¢2,000. The person came to me and he only spent GHS200 and, so, from just that one example, you can see how much I’ve been of help to people. I offer services to everybody not just delegates”, he said.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Kofi Atakora
