Confusion erupted on Saturday morning at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) office in the Awutu Bereku constituency of the Central Region where the party’s primary is being held.
This came about when a campaign team member of George Andah, the incumbent Member of Parliament, was prevented from casting his ballot.
According to supporters of Mr. Andah’s contender, Joseph Aidoo, the delegate resigned from his position as polling station executive to contest for the party’s Deputy Constituency Secretary position but lost, hence has lost his right to vote as a delegate.
The delegate in question, Louis Otibu Ayitey in a Citi News interview said while it is true that he resigned from his post as a polling station executive to contest in the constituency election and lost, he was given a special opportunity by his polling station leader to return to his position as polling station youth organizer without an election hence making him eligible to vote in the primaries.
“When I came, the agent of the other candidate said he is not going to allow me to vote because I resigned to contest for a constituency position and I lost. Yes, I contested and lost, but I came back to the polling station. I wanted the research officer to organize elections, but he made me know that because of my hard work, he as the constituency officer will allow me to take my position as the polling station youth organizer. He told me that he has sent the particulars to the constituency and it has been approved…Because the chairman knows I am a frontier of George Andah, that is why he is finding any means to prevent me from voting,” he said.
He, however, said he will not pursue the matter after listening to counsel from George Andah who believes he will still get a landslide victory despite the incident.
“George Andah said one vote will not do anything so we should leave it. I am confident that the delegates who are discerning will give Goerge Andah more than 90% of the votes,” he said.
Meanwhile, George Andah has told Citi News that he believes the situation is meant to frustrate him and his supporters to react in an untoward way but they will not react.
“The chairman is refusing to allow one of the delegates to vote for whatever reason, I do not know. As a chairman, it is your responsibility to have removed any name that you think is not supposed to be on a register. But it is okay. All these frustrations are being set up to get us to react in ways untoward, so I have told my supporters that we should all keep our calm. We are winning hands-down so I have told my supporters to forget about it.”
In all a total, 648 delegates will be voting in 24 polling stations in the Awutu Senya West constituency.
Incumbent Neenyi George Andah is facing stiff opposition from Joseph Aidoo who is contesting him for the second time.
George Andah believes the time to change Awutu Senya West status as a swing seat is now since he believes he will win massively in the primaries and in the general elections.