...Vows to contest election as independent
Poor Torontonians!! The attempt by Toronto residents to get meaningful representation in Ghanaian politics suffered another severe jolt when sitting Member of Parliament for Birim North, Dr. William Boakye Akoto was beaten in the Party?s primaries. The contest was won by Ms. Esther Obeng Dapaah. Dr. Akoto Ph.D holder from the University of Toronto and a former publisher of the African Connection Newspaper in Toronto.

Dr William Boakye Akoto, has previously complained to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NPP to launch an independent inquiry into how Ms Esther Obeng Dapaah was endorsed to contest the primary of the constituency branch of the party. Dr. Akoto complained that "there is a strong pointer to the fact that there has been a grand conspiracy involving corruption, cover-ups, and blatant lies told from the constituency to the party head office to make it easy for Ms Dapaah to take the seat from me"

He accused the Regional Chairman of the party, Mr Adi-Ankamah, for not taking the appropriate steps to redress the issue after he had complained to him a year ago. He is therefore planning to run as an independent candidate "to save the NPP from becoming a party that "places monetary consideration over loyalty. I will run on my record in the constituency as against her promises, I will comfortably trash and send her packing back to London to enjoy her pension purse," Dr. Akoto said.

Political observers are however not surprised at the defeat of William Akoto in the primaries. The writing has been on the wall for over three years. A local constituency official said in an interview that Akoto has never had a good working relationship with the constituency executive and the area residents. He has been at logger-heads with the District Chief Executive frequently and some constituents had also accused him of embezzelment of the Constituency?s Common Fund. By the time the Primaries were held Akoto was fighting a losing battle for his political life.

Akoto?s defeat follows the dramatic defeat and the thrashing two other Toronto-based NPP Parliamentary aspirants received over the past couple of weeks. First was Mr. Atakora who lost in his bid for Parliament in the Wenchi West Primaries and Toronto local NPP Chairman, Yaw Osei Amoakoh who received a severe beating from Asokore-Effiduase M.P Grace Coleman popularly known as Obaa Yaa.

Another Toronto-resident Parliamentary hopeful, Kofi Bobi Barimah is expected to drop out of the Sunyani East Primaries this week to complete a dramatic "also-run" attempt by the Torontonians to make a dent in Ghanaian politics.

Dr. Akoto?s defeat brings to a total of fifteen sitting NPP Members of Parliament who have lost their seats in the primaries. Veteran Sunyani East M.P, J.H. Mensah is also widely expected to lose the primaries in a contest that has been postponed so many times without any valid explanations leading observers to conclude that manipulations are taking place behind the scene to save Senior Minister J. H. Mensah from total humiliation.

Five NDC sitting M.P s have also lost their bid to re-enter Parliament in the primaries.