NPP "Buying" Votes - NDC Regional Kingpin

The Western regional organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Yaw Boateng Djan, has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of using what he described as their usual undemocratic tactics to entice voters to their side for the incoming Amenfi West by-election.

He said even though the Asankragwa water system broke down a long time ago, the NPP government never bothered to repair it, but immediately they heard that Hon. Kofi Asante who is the MP for the area had resigned from Parliament, officials were detailed to check the system which is now about to be repaired.

Apart from this, he said, NPP officials have also started distributing cement to the various communities in the constituency with the view of using it to entice the electorate, who are predominantly rural dwellers, to their side.

Speaking to the ''Chronicle'' in Sekondi, Mr Boateng said this behaviour of NPP which they have exhibited in almost all the by-elections that have been held in the country of late, is very bad and must be condemned by all those who believe in proper democratic practice.

According to Boateng, another tactic that has been adopted by the NPP in some of the already held by-elections is the use of the vice -President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama.

He said in the Navrongo by-election for instance, the police used the visit of the vice President to the constituency as a weapon to cancel all rallies that were to be held by the NDC.

Boateng noted that if the vice president should visit a constituency during the time of a by-election in his capacity as the second father of the country, and this should result in the cancellation of their rallies because of security reasons, they would have no cause to complain, but if he is coming as a politician to campaign, then his visit should not be used to stop other political parties from organizing their rallies since that would not give a level playing ground.

Mr. Boateng further said he is aware the vice would be visiting the Amenfi West constituency, so he is giving an advance notice to all democratic forces to ensure a level playing ground for all the parties contesting the by-election for the electorate to make their own decision.

The regional organizer, however, told this reporter that notwithstanding all the undemocratic tactics being adopted by the NPP, the Western regional secretariat of the NDC would definitely put a stop to the NPP by-election winning spree.

''Every napoleon has its own waterloo and I can assure you that NPP is going to meet its waterloo in this by-election, no doubt about that,'' he said and added that NPP would surely be given a good run for their money in the election that has been slated for April 24 this year.

Giving reasons why he is sure NDC would win the election to stop the NPP, Boateng said the electorates in the constituency are already fed up with the government because of the astronomical increase in the price of kerosene. He alleged that a gallon of kerosene is being sold for 25,000 cedis, which the people are finding very difficult to cope with.

Touching on the resignation of Hon. Kofi Asante which has actually paved the way for the by-election, Boateng said it is not true the constituency executives of the party threatened not to allow Hon. Asante to contest the election again on the ticket of the party because of his support for Dr. Botchway as is being alleged by some media houses.

He said contrary to the public perception, his constituency executives had actually agreed to allow Hon. Kofi Asante to contest the 2004 election unopposed, therefore, they were surprised when they heard that their MP has resigned from Parliament. ''In fact some of the constituency executives were in tears when they heard the bad news about his resignation, because they thought their MP had left them in mid stream,'' he added.