Accra, April 5, GNA - Contrary to the usual practice where delegates at political party congresses got glued to their seats during voting and vote counting to ensure that their interests were secured, delegates at the Democratic Freedom Party's first National Delegates Congress virtually deserted the congress during voting and vote counting on Saturday.

During voting, delegates stood in long queues and waited for their turn to vote, after which they walked out of the congress hall leaving the national executives on the podium, the Electoral Commission officials, a handful of police personnel and journalists.

The Ghana News Agency observed that out of the over 1,000 seats in the congress hall, only the first three rows were virtually occupied and the rest numbering about 900 were completely empty during vote counting, which was unusual.

The GNA also observed that even during voting and just before the results were declared, some delegates boarded their buses and left the congress grounds, possibly because they came from far and had to return home in the night.

Asked why they left congress before the voting was over for the results to be declared, a delegate told GNA that "our place is far and have to leave before night fall."

Some observers at the congress told GNA that the attitude of delegates towards voting and vote counting was evidence of the lack of passion in the party to pursue the cause of consolidating democracy, which they professed.

"They should have demonstrated to observers that they were committed to jealously guarding their own internal democracy so that people in the country could have faith in their professed commitment to providing the kind of leadership they promised," an observer said.

Meanwhile, just when vote counting was over, few delegates went to rejoice with the winner and newly elected flag bearer of DFP, Mr Emmanuel Ansah-Antwi, carried him shoulder high and smeared him with powder amidst singing and dancing.

During the vote counting, 'spinners' invited to provide music and public address system also started packing their equipment before congress ended.

They were stopped by some observers who insisted that it was not professional for them to leave before the end of congress. Before the voting, Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Issaka, a DFP flag bearer aspirant who lost with 201 votes representing 18.8 per cent of the votes cast, blamed Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, Life Patron of the Party for influencing his defeat.

After voting and vote counting, he told journalists that "I think the election was free and fair but the influence of Dr Asamoah was at play against me."

"The Life Patron told delegates that I was not his favourite aspirant and his influence worked against me," he added. Alhaji Issaka said the election result was evidence of the power and influence Dr Asamoah had in the Party, which was not ideal for its democracy and development.

He said it was important to ensure that power was vested with the rank and file and not the top executive and pledged to ensure power returned to the rank and file.

However, Alhaji Issaka said despite the defeat he still respected Dr Asamoah and Mr Emmanuel Ansah-Antwi adding "there is no bad blood between me and anybody on earth and it shall remain so".

Mr Ansah-Antwi assured delegates that financing the Party's campaign toward election 2008 would not be a problem and it would contest all the 230 Parliamentary seats this year. He hugged Alhaji Issaka to show his commitment to democracy and Party unity, but denied knowledge of any attempt by Dr Asamoah to influence delegates in his favour.