…La, Teshie, Nungua, Ashaiman under siege
Though Yao Obed Asamoah preferred to laugh the matter off when The Statesman called Friday morning to check how far his campaign was going, on the spot checks by the paper have revealed that the former National Democratic Congress national chairman and his men have made rapid incursions into indigenous Accra’s political hotspots, notably La, Teshie, Nungua and Ashaiman, with stunning results.

Nii Adjetey Tetteh, 46, otherwise known as Francisco Pizarro, told the paper that, last weekend, the La coordinator for the ‘third force’ Democratic Freedom Party invaded Palm-Wine Junction, La and met with youth, mostly unemployed, sharing with them the party’s message of hope for them and Ghanaians in general.

“When I saw them, I felt they had come to do business with me…stake lotto, so I began asking them what numbers they had in mind to stake…They were here, five of them; they requested to see my boys…I got Yemo, one of my boys, to call those around to come meet some messengers…About fifteen came immediately, but before they left the meeting, the numbers had multiplied. They are returning over the weekend to open a cell here…Money has been provided for stationery and plastic chairs and tables to open a cell in the premises of the Assemblies of God Church…or any other suitable place,” Pizarro revealed.

One DFP convert, named T.T. confirmed the presence in the area of the five men. I know one by name…He is Abbey from La town, near the Bethel Presbyterian Church…he works with an NGO…They appear serious…and so we want to try them. Two of our boys, who are drivers, have swiftly been offered employment with a security company near Dzorwulu, Accra …so the DFP have, at least, proved a point.”

Calls to the editorial desk of The Statesman from friends of the paper in Nungua also revealed that an influential Assemblyman in Nungua has been contacted by Obed’s soldiers to play a frontline role in ‘attacking’ the floating votes in Nungua, where both the ruling New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress have become vulnerable because of cracks in their respective executives, and lack of a united front to win converts for their parties.

Two key activists, one of them a fisherman, have been planted in the Channel Five and Dutch Hotel Nshonaa sectors, The Statesman learnt. A notable traditional ruler in the town has also offered to assist with funds to build the party in the constituency.

“He’s offered to help because his party, the CPP, does not appear to him to be reliable and enthusiastic about revolutionising the party,” Joe Bortey, the fisherman activist, told this reporter at a pub near the Coco Beach Hotel in Nungua.

At Teshie, the paper also learnt that three key fishermen had been contacted and were already using their influence as opinion leaders to make substantial inroads into NDC and NPP territories. They had converted a crop of key fishmongers in the town into the political family of the DFP. The two, in turn, were speaking with others “to try this other party.” The paper was told that the DFP was trying to woo one big fish held in high esteem by the youth in Teshie (name withheld) as parliamentary candidate for 2008.

Though Ashaiman was yet to witness any serious resignations from the NDC to Obed’s DFP, there was enough evidence on the ground, especially among activists in the Northern and Dangme strongholds in the constituency, that the DFP was making significant gains.

Gambo, a bookman at one of the local taxi stations in the town, told the paper that the DFP had been around in the area “making noise since the last Easter festivities, and that a few friends and some colleagues have joined the ranks of Obed’s boys”.

He himself was considering joining the party, but would bide his time up till Christmas to see if his party, the NDC, would field the ‘right candidate’ for 2008 to enable him make an informed choice, though he failed to tell the paper who his ‘right’ candidate was.