…Threatens to crush anyone who tries to stop them
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stated that members of the party are determined to do whatever it takes and by whichever means to win the 2008 general elections. Consequently, he continued, the NDC would not hesitate to crush any individual or group of people, whether from the NDC, NPP or any other quarter that attempts to thwart their efforts at achieving their avowed aim.
“We shall win this election by hook or crook”, Baba Jamal threatened, adding “therefore we would crush anybody, whether the person is from the NDC or NPP and try to stop us from achieving our aim”. Addressing members of the party, at the primaries in Tema last Saturday to elect a parliamentary candidate to contest on the ticket of the party in the Tema East constituency in the 2008 elections, the deputy General Secretary said they had suffered for far too long in opposition. Baba Jamal stated: “We have suffered in opposition for far too long and therefore we must do whatever it takes to unseat the NPP”.
He called on the 274 delegates, who had gathered to elect the parliamentary candidate for the party and other party members who had converged at the premises of the defunct Ghana Publishing Corporation to be as wise as the serpent and monitor the activities of the ruling NPP, because they always try to bring thugs to destroy activities of the NDC. Delivering the welcome address, Mustapha Darko, the Tema East constituency chairman of the NDC called on the delegates to elect a candidate who would be acceptable not only to them, but also to the electorate, who are fed up with the NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Ishmael Ashittey as well as the ruling NPP.
He said the electorate was ready to change their pattern of voting, if only the NDC could elect a competent candidate who could take care of them. He was optimistic that the NDC was going to make history, by winning the seat for the first time in a competitive election, and called for the support of all party members. Five persons namely: Mrs. Emelia Kai Adjei - the party’s 2004 parliamentary candidate, Albert Antwi Nuamah – a social commentator, Robert Kempes Papa Nii Ofosu-Ware – football administrator, Joseph Djanie Kotey – an NGO worker and C. Edem Dogbe filed their nominations to contest on the ticket of the party in the 2008 elections, but the last candidate was disqualified.
At the end of the election, the delegates settled for the football administrator by giving him 119 votes out of the total of 265 votes cast: the 2004 parliamentary candidate pooled 90 votes leaving the social commentator and the NGO worker to bag 36 and 19 votes respectively. Ten delegates were absent while the Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Sumaila, aka Major who conducted the election and his team rejected one vote. Speaking to journalists after winning the contest, Kempes said he was confident he was going to wrest the seat from the NPP having studied the modus operandi of the operatives of the ruling NPP in the constituency over the years.
According to him, because he knew he was going to win the primaries he started marking out a strategy that would make it possible for him to outwit his main contenders (the NPP) in the 2008 elections. He said politics was not all about popularity, but most importantly it was about strategies and programmes and as far as he was concerned he had what it takes to beat the NPP in the general elections. The Operations Manager of Power FC football club noted: “The NPP in Tema East, by now is shivering by the fact that I have won the primaries because the mention of my name sends shivers down their spine”.
