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Though the Parliamentary elections of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) are over, there are some mix-feelings among some of the losing candidates.
Some candidates have sworn to make sure those who won over them, will never make it to Parliament to work for their government/party.
One of such losing candidates who is sabotaging his elected Parliamentary Candidate is Mr. Kwadwo Odame Antwi, a government appointee at the Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC).
Whilst elsewhere, the losing candidates are throwing their weight behind the elected ones to make sure they win or retain the seats, Mr. Odame Antwi is doing all he could within his power for his government or party to lose the seat to National Democratic Congress(NDC).
Readers would recall the NPP went to elections to elect their Parliamentary candidate on 20th of June, 2020, and one of the constituencies which saw stiff competition was Lower West Akyem Constituency because the incumbent didn’t seek re-election.
There were five (5) Aspirants who contested the seat: Madam Gifty Klenam, former MP for the area, Mr. Kwabena Asamoah, Mr. Kwadwo Odame Antwi, (CEO-GTDC), Mr. Charles Acheampong and Mr. Kwabena Sintim Aboagye (Dep. MD, Ops.-STC).
Information gathering from the constituency, Osenase zone precisely, ‘Florida’ of the constituency and where the PC comes from, indicates that Mr. Odame Antwi has formed a youth group that meets on Sundays to strategize how to campaign against the elected Parliamentary Candidate, Mr. Charles Acheampong to lose the seat to the opposition NDC.
Their place of meetings, according to sources, is within a story building at Beposo, a vicinity in Osenase on the Oda road.
It was gathered that a “No Antwi No Vote” campaign is to start in the zone anytime there is a party activity in that area to change the minds of the people to be followed by a ‘skirt and blouse’ campaign.
The source said the plan is to campaign for Nana Addo for President and to convince a neutral person to contest as an Independent Candidate. “By so doing, they will split the votes, which will likely go in favour of the NDC candidate.”
“Mr. Odame Antwi is alleged to have claimed he has worked for the party all these years, from 2012 and does not understand why Mr. Charles Acheampong, who was not known in the constituency should be voted for as the Parliamentary Candidate,” the source said.
“He and one other candidate are also alleging that Mr. Acheampong is not from the Osenase zone as he claims and has not contributed to the constituency as they have done,”
Reports monitored by this portal show that all these allegations made against Mr. Acheampong are not true but mere allegations.
Allegations, which according to the residents, prompted four leading chiefs from Kobriso, Akanteng, Osenase and Awahamu in the Osenase zone to hold press conference to debunk and confirm that Mr. Acheampong is their Loyal, and even before he started his campaign for the primaries, came to them to sought their blessings.
It was also captured on video that during the celebrations of the recent Ohum in Osenase on the 8th of July, 2020, Mr. Odame Antwi in his Toyota Landcruiser with registration number GE1720-17 organized his boys to ‘demonstrate’ against the Parliamentary Candidate, Mr. Acheampong who was in the company of Michael Asante, Constituency Chairman; Mr. Joseph Ameyaw, First Chairman; Alex Ofori Karikari, Research and Elections Officer; Mr. Annor Kwasi, Communications Officer; Mr. Seth Boadu Municipal Chief Executive of West Akyem Municipal Assembly and other Party officials and party activists when they paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Osenase and his elders.
The boys were heard in the video chanting “No Antwi No Vote, Yebeto skirt and blouse”, (we will vote skirt and blouse) to welcome Mr. Antwi who was also visiting the Chief’s palace to pay homage to the elders.
Party activists around confirmed that instead of Mr. Odame Antwi stopping the boys, he rather danced to the chanting by the boys in his car. This, according to bystanders, confirmed he is behind the plot.
“One thing we observed was that if Mr. Odame Antwi had no secret intentions, he should have come out of his car, go and greet or meet the PC at the Palace who was with the party executives and the MCE,” a party member said.
This got the people and the MCE infuriated, which made him issued a warning, “The elections are over and one candidate is elected and the security of that candidate is my hands, so I will not hesitate to order anybody who will do anything contrary to the law.”
“We are not alone, we have national security in our midst and if somebody makes a mistake, the person will not take it easy, the law will deal with him,” the MCE warned.
The situation, this portal learned, made the chiefs and one queen-mother to escort their ‘visitors’ into their cars to make sure nothing untoward happens.
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By: Eric Agyeman/www.frontpageghana.com/Ghana
