Gov't Machinery Was Against Me - Nyaunu Claims

Outspoken NDC Member of Parliament for Lower Manya Krobo Constituency, Hon. Michael Teye Nyaunu (MTN), who was defeated in Saturday’s parliamentary primaries, is accusing the Mills’ administration of contributing to his electoral loss.

The MP, as a result of circumstances surrounding his defeat says, he is considering options available to him not excluding the possibility of still being the mouthpiece of the constituents in Parliament, but this time as an independent candidate.

One of the heavy casualties at the just-ended NDC parliamentary primaries in areas where the party has sitting MPs, Hon Teye Nyaunu maintains that though he is not embittered by the result, he believes he was not treated fairly as the Mills administration did not create a level playing field in the constituency.

Speaking to CitiFM in an interview moments after the declaration of results in his constituency, the defeated parliamentary alleged that the entire government machinery “descended” on his constituency distributing bags of rice, cooking oil, roofing sheets and doling out monies to delegates like the wind without a care in the world.

“The whole government machinery was behind my other contestant…He was well resourced…the margin between us was 25 and I concede that as a well-fought battle…Roofing sheets, rice, oil…and then cash, cloth (were distributed)…Richard (Sky), you won’t believe what happened in Lower Manya constituency and I’ll tell you that really it was almost the whole government that descended (on the constituency) and they were giving money like the wind. But…I am not disturbed at all; I am very okay…,” Teye Nyaunu said.

He however indicated that the defeat does not spell doom for his political career since there are still options available to him.

“Don’t forget, I’ve lost only NDC primary and we are eleven (11) months away from the main election…I can take any decision. You know I’m qualified under the Electoral Commission and I’m qualified under the Ghana constitution…I still have other options opened to me which I will be considering,” he said

Asked by Richard Sky if the options available to him include the possibility of him going independent, Hon Teye Nyaunu who is also the Deputy Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament in Nigeria replied “well that is one of the options which I’ll be considering seriously and be analyzing to see how best I can exploit it”.

“Why would you do that, you still belong to the NDC I believe?” Richard Sky prodded again.

“But even when I go independent koraa, I still belong to the NDC…Shaba (Seth Agyei Baah, MP) of Nkawkaw went independent and he still belongs to the NPP…then the former DVLA boss (Joe Osei-Wusu, MP for Bekwai) also went the same way and he still belongs to the NPP,” he shot back.

Traditionally the Lower Manya constituency has been a safe seat for the NDC and no independent candidate has been able to make in-roads, but the avowed critic of the Mills’ administration appears undaunted by the challenge judging by his subsequent statement during the interview.

“There is a first time to everything and there’s nothing that is impossible under this sun…but like I said, it’s too early for me to make any consideration or decision regarding that…I have eleven good months to think about it…,” he said.

An ardent backer of the former First Family, the defeated MP disclosed that he received no support from any quarters because he specifically asked the Rawlingses not to involve themselves in his bid to seek the votes of delegates, but was saddened by the blatant bias by officialdom.

“I told them (Rawlingses) not to give me any support and the old man was not even in the country…It’s obvious the Mills administration has not treated me fairly in any regard…that is in the public domain, everybody knows it,” he said.

When asked if he would campaign for the NDC, he said: ‘when we get to that river, we shall learn how to cross it.”