The Campaign team of Ing. Kwabena Owusu-Aduomi, an Independent parliamentary candidate in tomorrow’s by-election at Ejisu, is smelling a rat in the voting exercise.
They have accused the Ashanti Regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako and some leading government officials of reckless attempts in a bid to manipulate Tuesday’s by-election.
According to the team, the NPP is planning to rig the elections and mentioned stuffing of Ballot boxes, attempts to bribe Electoral Commission officials on voting day, use of military personnel and deployment of police officers from different regions to seize control of ballot boxes, as some of the plans to achieve their aim.
Also among the alleged schemes by the NPP are threats of power outages during vote counting, use of macho men to forcibly snatch ballot boxes from new site and smaller towns, transporting over 500 SHS students to vote, all in an attempt to manipulate the outcome of the election,
Mr Isaac Boafo, Campaign Co-ordinator of the Independent Candidate, who raised these concerns at a press conference last Friday, said these behaviours constitute a cowardly tactic to sow confusion and undermine transparency in a blatant attempt to undermine the integrity of the electoral process.
He described the bid as a shameful exploitation of young voters as well as a brazen assault on the sanctity of the electoral process and, therefore, a despicable act that strikes at the heart of democracy.
He said the intended utilization of military personnel to intimidate strongholds of Hon Owusu Aduomi, is a clear abuse of power aimed at suppressing the will of the people and an indication of a flagrant violation of electoral norms.
Mr Boafo said the attempts by the NPP to tag Owusu Aduomi as an NDC sympathizer to incite discord among constituents are unfounded, baseless and malicious tactics.
The concerned Campaign team has cautioned that, “we will fiercely defend our ballots with every fiber of our being” and that “despite their desperate attempts to subvert the democratic process, Ejisu will stand firm and resolute on Tuesday”.
The team also condemned what it described as “wasteful expenditure of state resources for vote buying”, which should have gone into addressing the pressing challenges facing the communities in the constituency.
Mr. Boafo also explained that the Bonwire market project, which was personally financed by Owusu Aduomi does not fall under the Middle Belt Development Projects and that the claim is not only misleading, but a deliberate attempt to diminish Owusu Aduomi’s significant contributions to the community.
“The claim is a disservice to the constituents of Bonwire and Ejisuman and a blatant distortion of the truth”, Mr. Boafo stressed.
He said Owusu Aduomi’s personal investment and tireless efforts have propelled the Bonwire market project and others within the constituency towards fruition, benefiting the local economy and enhancing the livelihoods of countless individuals for which the constituents would honour his genuine commitment to community development during the by-election.
