Correspondence from Upper East

Some Electoral Area Coordinators, Polling Station Executives and party faithful of the governing New Patriotic Party in the Navrongo Central Constituency, have accused the Member of Parliament for the area, Joseph Kofi Adda, of financing a campaign against Tangoba Abayage to ensure she was defeated.

They said Mr. Adda strongly campaigned against the NPP and its Parliamentary candidate in the constituency, creating an image problem and eventually debilitating the fortunes of the party in both the Parliamentary and Presidential slots in the just-ended election.

The coalition said Mr. Adda, to the detriment of the NPP, supported the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its Parliamentary candidate - Sampson Tangombu Chiragia, aimed at causing the defeat of Ms. Abayage who beat him in the party primaries.

The coalition said Mr. Adda gave support to the NDC Parliamentary candidate in numerous ways including a huge cash donation and transported voters to the constituency in branded buses during the election period to vote against the party and its Parliamentary candidate- Tangoba Abayage.

The coordinators and polling station executives, who gathered from the entity of the constituency at the constituency party office in Navrongo for a news conference this week, said, Mr. Adda and his “Cohorts” vigorously campaigned against the candidature of Ms. Abayage with party resources and that they had in possession strong evidence to their actions.

“We have voice recording of an electoral area coordinator of the party (Alan Kwesi Nazantera), educating voters to vote skirt and blouse with unsavory allegations against our parliamentary candidate. Hon Kofi Adda sponsored the NDC candidate with huge financial support and bused over thousand voters into the constituency and induced some with Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH?50, 000) to vote against Tangoba. He printed ballot samples for the PPP Parliamentary candidate with a cash donation of five thousand Ghana Cedis but God being good; these items were mistakenly sent to Hon. Tangoba’s house. The errand boy who delivered the items said, he was being tasked to give the items to 'the woman.' He didn’t enquire as to which woman because, he thought Kofi meant Hon. Tangoba. We have video and audio recording evidence for the media perusal. The parliamentary candidate won her polling station with the following results despite Kofi Adda’s commitment to convince the voters to vote otherwise."

“Hon. Kofi Adda and his cohorts took to the streets of Navrongo to jubilate the defeat of both Hon. Tangoba Abayage and Nana Addo, immediately it was declared that Sampson Tangombu Chiragia and Mahama of NDC won the 2020 parliamentary and presidential polls.

The convenor of the conference, Adda Yeji Nelson, in a statement said, “The purpose of our press conference is to correct the notion that “He, Kofi Adda is the party and the party is him.”. Our initial stand was to let sleeping dogs lie but the acidic propaganda and perceptions created therein must be refuted and corrected with evidence for reference in the future”.

On the entry of Mr. Adda to the New Patriotic Party, he continued that, “Kofi was a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who later joined the defunct National Reform Party, vied and failed to become a parliamentary candidate to Goose Tanor in the 2000 presidential elections. In 2003 upon the sudden demise of Late John Setuni Achuliwor, brother of the late MP was tipped to step into his shoes. The brother decided to abide by customs and tradition and rejected the offer. Whiles the party was scouting for a suitable candidate, opportunistic Kofi Adda availed himself through late Colonel Roger Minyila, an elder and founding member of the New Patriotic. The then Party’s Secretary, Mr. Godfred Kuyiba was the most suitable candidate to represent the party. The grassroots rooted for his candidature but pressures from above thwarted his opportunity.

The coalition hailed Tangoba Abayage for the several initiatives and development projects she undertook in the various parts of the constituency. They noted that her contributions have greatly helped improve the lives of constituents.

The coalition resolved to restructure the party, saying “We resolve with a solemn pledge to restructure the party, reconcile with the true lovers of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition and to recapture the Navrongo Central seat in 2024. We also urge the leadership of the party in Navrongo Central Constituency, Regional and the National Executives to take drastic actions against the anti-party elements who parade themselves as party members to restructure the party for victory in the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections and to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to tow that line in the future. We are inviting all well-meaning patriots in and around Navrongo Central Constituency to rise up and join this worthy course in order to protect and safeguard the party for our generation and generations yet unborn”.