NDC paid ‘junkies and wee smokers’ to fake defections - Kwesi Botchwey report

It is alleged in portions of the ‘leaked’ Kwesi Botchwey report that Ashanti Regional Executives of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the run-up to the 2016 elections had to resort to unconventional means to make the party appear it was indeed poised for its one million votes target.

One of the measures it adopted was staging defections from other political parties at each party event when members of the national campaign team were available.

As a result, the Ashanti Regional Campaign team bussed over 700 persons from various communities to Miklin Hotel and the Regional Coordinating Council to fake a defection from Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings’ National Democratic Party (NDP) to the NDC.

It was gathered that these new converts were mostly junkies and wee smokers from various suburbs within the Kumasi Metropolis and were each paid GH¢20 which was a conduit to siphon more funds from the campaign cash.

The leadership of the NDC is however reluctant in commenting on matters arising from the leaked report except to say what is being circulated is not the certified one.

The 13-member Kwesi Botchwey committee was tasked to unearth the cause of the party’s disgraceful defeat at the 2016 polls to the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

After presenting a 455-page document, the committee made some recommendations it described as a healing process to be adopted by the party in bridging its differences ahead of the 2020 elections.

Aside the 455-page document, an executive summary was also submitted butt allegedly found its way into the media but party stalwarts maintain it is fake and must be disregarded.