Former President John Dramani Mahama has condemned the violence that occurred at the just ended New Patriotic Party (NPP) Super Delegate Conference, describing it as detrimental to democracy.
Making the comment on his Facebook page on Saturday, August 26, 2023 Mr Mahama bemoaned that violence has become the new normal for the NPP.
He said: “It would appear that violence has become the new normal for the NPP in any electoral contest they are involved in. An act of violence during what should be a peaceful civic exercise must be condemned by all well-meaning Ghanaians.
“Such brutal acts have no place in modern society, especially during an internal contest among persons who belong to the same party and have known each other for many years.”
The flag-bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) further stated that, “the barbarity of Ayawaso West Wuogon by-elections in 2019 and the murder of eight innocent Ghanaians during the 2020 elections will forever be a blot on the legacy of President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.”
An attack on one Ali Zakaria, the agent for flagbearer hopeful of the NPP, Alan Kyerematen, at the North East Region polling center during the Special Delegates Congress of the governing NPP was reported to the police.
Speaking on GHOne TV with Joshua Kodjo Mensah, the deputy spokesperson for Alan Campaign Team, Richard Nyamah, stated that the agent was beaten to pulp for protesting the public display of ballot papers by some delegates. A situation that left him hospitalised due to the severity of his injuries.
Meanwhile, in a signed statement by the North East NPP Regional Communication Director, Walibe Amos, he indicated that the incident was a purely between two people and not a mob action.
“The incident was a purely two man affair and not a mob action. The regional Youth Organiser acted involuntarily to prevent Alan’s agent from snatching his thump printed ballot paper by incidentally hitting the agent with his elbow, leading to his fall and subsequent bleeding,” Mr. Walibe disclosed.
The NPP, on Saturday, had their Super Delegates Congress, which saw 958 delegates nationwide voting for a shortlist of five presidential candidates, ahead of their Presidential Primaries in November, 2023.
In all, 956 delegates voted at 17 polling centers across the country to cut down the number of candidates to five, pursuant to Article 12(b) of the party’s constitution, which demands that the number of presidential aspirants was to be reduced from ten to five.
At the end of the poll, the five elected aspirants to continue with the journey towards becoming the flag bearer of the party was Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Kennedy Agyapong, Alan Kyeremanten, Afriyie Akonoba, with both Boakye Agarko and Francis Addai – Nimo securing the same number of votes for the fifth and sixth position.
The party is, however, expected to hold a run-off election for the two aspirants on Saturday, September 2, 2023 to determine which of the two will be part of the top five.
