The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has come out to state categorically that they would not accept any outcome of the impending Amenfi West by election which is scheduled to come on this coming Thursday April 24, apart from being declared as winners by the Electoral Commission (EC).
The party which says it has declared the by election as a mother of all by elections, is contending that if the election should be held in a free and fair manner devoid of any rigging and intimidation, there is no way it would not retain the seat which became vacant following the resignation of their own MP, Abraham Kofi Asante.
The western regional chairman of the party, Nana Alex Asamoah who disclosed this to the Chronicle via telephone last Saturday, said NDC is giving an early warning that it would not accept any outcome of the election apart from victory because information reaching the party indicates that NPP intends to import the malpractices they resorted to in winning all the by elections to this election too.
He mentioned some of the alleged malpractices as under age voting, multiple voting and possession of fake identity cards. Nana Asamoah also alleged that NPP has started busing in what he described as an intimidation squad to terrorise voters, especially in areas considered as NDC strongholds.
When contacted, Nana Asamoah's counterpart in the NPP, Peter Mac Manu simply described his opponent's allegations as absurd. He argued that NDC has now realized they are going to lose the election rather massively so they are only trying to prepare the grounds to reject the final result, no matter how genuine it would be.
Nana Alex Asamoah however insisted that their decision to reject the result apart from being declared as winners is not a preconceived idea that they have already lost the election. He said they are expressing a genuine concern that NPP is once again trying to win the election through all foul means. According to him, in order not to be caught unawares, NDC is also recruiting an intimidation squad to counter that of the NPP, should they emerge at any of the 75 polling stations during the voting day.
The regional party chairman said anyone who would allow himself to be used either as under age voter, possessing fake ID cards or intimidation squad by the NPP would have himself to blame because the NDC would discipline such a person in the way they understand the vice president's campaign against all manner of indiscipline in the society.
Alex Asamoah also told this reporter that his party has instructed its activists to forcibly drag any under age voter from the queue of voters. The party activists have further been instructed by the party to impound or seize any logistics being distributed by the NPP at any odd hour with the sole view of using it to influence voters before and during the voting day.
"We are also serving notice that in accordance with our view on positive defiance, we shall ignore, disregard and disobey any attempt to curtail our campaign activities under the guise of the so called vice presidential visit or trip," he said.
According to the western regional chairman of the NDC in most of the recent by-elections, the police used the visit of the vice president to the constituencies under the guise of inspecting development projects but in real terms, doing active campaign for his party to curtail their campaign activities.
"Should the police try to curtail our campaign again by using the visit of the vice president or any high ranking government officials, we shall treat their directives with the contempt that it deserves," he vowed.
Alex Asamoah further told this reporter that NDC has taken this by-election very, very seriously and would therefore not sit down for the NPP to adopt their usual undemocratic, abuse of incumbency and intimidation tactics to once again win this by-election which, they have already sworn not to accept any result apart from victory. He reiterated that there is no way NDC would lose this election if a level playing field were provided.
"Our stand as a party is simple, we shall not accept any outcome of the election except being declared as winners by the electoral commission," he concluded.
Continuing with his reaction to these allegations, Mac Manu, Western regional chairman of the NPP said his party is a peaceful one that would never indulge in or adopt the allegations that are being leveled against it by the NDC.
"Akli, there is no iota of truth in these allegations, Nana Alex Asamoah is only preparing the ground to reject the election results which they are surely going to lose badly," he said.
According to Mac Manu whose hard work enabled the NPP to gain some in roads in the region, Asamoah and his NDC are only trying to swerve them from their focus and strategy but that would not work.
He said the level of development that had gone on in the Amenfi west constituency is there for the electorate to see.
He mentioned the spraying of cocoa farms in the area, payment of bonuses, extension of electricity, and the ongoing construction of the Wassa Amenfi-Asankragwa road among many others.
Mac, as he is popularly known among the western press corps, said his party need not employ the allegations being leveled against them by the NDC before winning this by-election.
If anything at all, he continued, it is rather the NDC who are adopting the intimidation tactics. According to him, as at the time he was speaking to the Chronicle, NDC supporters had severely assaulted an NPP activist without any tangible reason.
Chronicle has meanwhile learnt that notwithstanding the seemingly antagonistic stand that has been adopted by the two parties, their leaders who are leading the campaign are lodging at the same hotel at Asankragwa.
They wake up in the morning, greet each other and also crack jokes before embarking on their campaign journey. But when it comes to their campaign messages, different stories are always told.
These allegations and counter allegations you have just read is a tip in the iceberg. Read Chronicle tomorrow for more. The paper has also managed to interview the two main candidates for the Thursday election. They are from one mother and father but they insist that cannot divide the family. Stay tuned.