A defeated Regional Organiser candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Western Region, Younus Mohammed has hit back strongly at some perceived power brokers in the party for engineering his loss at the recent regional elections held in Sefwi Wiawso.
He has subsequently described them as ‘senseless’.
The ‘hard talker’, Younus Mohammed, says they have set a bad precedent for the youth of the party, by telling them that nobody needs to die hard for the party, but must go and make money to get enough financial grounds to ‘buy’ their way out through party elections.
He stated that after working so hard for the party in several capacities, including defending the party on political discourses on radio, and serving as a devoted Regional Youth Organiser, some ‘Elders’ of the party, in and from the region, felt that he is a threat and so had to lose by ‘hook’ or ‘crook’.
“As we went into this elections, all the leaders of the party in the region felt that I was a threat because I was controversial, and I say the truth. But they should have known that in this world, we are all different. I can’t see red and say it is black; red is red, and black is black, so they should just understand. Ah, why should it be that a son of the party has decided to run for a position and all the supposed leaders of the arty in the region have ganged up against me – that I should be disqualified? Why?”, he asked.
Speaking to Mpimpimhene Nana Gyetuah on ‘Pulse’ on SKyy Power FM, Younus Mohammed blamed the supposed leaders for masterminding his defeat on the Election Day when they failed in all their attempts to disqualify for him, noting that when they realized that the election was going his way, they pumped money into the process, and asked people to bring photographs of their votes in return for money.
“See, in the election, I didn’t give enough money because it was difficult. But in all of this, they told delegates to take photos of their votes, and return them for monies. Even that, Japhet Baidoo was only able to beat me by twenty-nine (29) votes, so they have seen that their boy can’t defeat me in an open election process. He can never beat me. No! He can’t ever,” he stated forcefully.
According to Younus Mohammed, he has learnt the hard way, that in politics, you do not have to remain at the grassroots all the time, but you need to leave party activities in search for monies, and when it is time for elections, you use that money to ‘buy’ your way through.
He blamed his defeat on these ‘senseless’ leaders who were against his ambitions to rid the party of what he described as ‘nonsense’ happenings in the party. On the specific leaders, he said “all of them; everybody, I won’t get anybody out. From former DCEs to all the leaders. They were all part of it.”
“How can a Secretary in a Constituency decide to disrespect his Constituency Chairman, all in the name of running a minority caucus? How? It is absolute nonsense! I said it during my campaign that I will put an end to this ‘nonsense’ when I win, and they voted against me. I mean how can you do that and nobody will act? In would have rooted this out, if I won,” he said.