NDC Decides: Confusion rocks Ningo Prampram; MP accuses Chairman of manipulation
The Member of Parliament of Ningo Prampram, Sam George, has accused the regional and constituency chairman of the National Democratic Congress of trying to manipulate the electoral register there.
Mr. Sam George told Joy News’ Daniel Dadzie Mr. Ade Coker and Victor Opey wanted to add to the register, names of executives from four branches who are not allowed to vote in the party’s elections deciding who leads them in 2020.
“The constituency has 93 branches but there have been issues with four branches. That is, there are two different sets of branch executives there. The party in its wisdom during the constituency and regional elections decided to stand those constituencies down until the issue was resolved,” he stated.
He explained the constituency chairman, however, said he had spoken to the regional chairman, Ade Coker, who in turn spoke to the national chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, and they both agreed that three of the four branches should be allowed to vote,
“How do we come to an election where the register given to the electoral commission by the national executives is changed at constituency level. How do we get to a point where somebody brings the three branches to add”? he asked.
The MP wondered why, “if there are issues in 4 branches, why do we have three branches just pop up from nowhere”?
He said even though peace prevailed after a while, the voting process was halted for two and a half hours.
“Don’t change a register during the election,” he stated.
The correspondent for Adom News also reported, there was a scuffle at a polling station at Ningo Prampram.
He refuted claims the delegate who got injured was his man.
According to the MP the altercations that caused the injury was not from his end, “the person injured is a delegate from one of our branches in Afienya Zango branch so how is that Sam George’s man.”
Mr. George stated the police officer who escorted him to the venue can prove his innocence, “there was no physical abuse when I talked to the constituency chairman, we were alone.”
The constituency chairman Victor Opey, speaking on the allegations of manipulation against him by the MP said “it is a total lie.”
“The Ningo Prampram constituency branch prepared a delegate list of 92 branches, sent it to the regional executives who in turn forwarded it to the national executives based on the number of branches received by the national party.
Mr. Opey explained the national executive provided the list with 92 branches to the presidential candidates.
“When we got here this morning, the district electoral officer came out with only 89,” he said
According to him, the polling agents of the various candidates came to report that there was a disparity between the register given to them and the one the EC was having.
“I also checked mine and realised there was a concern so I spoke to the regional chairman and he spoke to the national chairman to resolve the issue,” he added.
Sam George, however, told Daniel Dadzie the National Chairman is not being briefed well on the issue in the constituency which has contributed to the confusion.
The regional chairman Ade Cooker, has refused to speak to Joy News on the allegations.
