Nortey's Victory Disproves Inusah's Rigging Allegations

Victor Okuley Nortey the NPP Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central has retained his seat to put an end to Alhaji Issaka Inusah's wild claims that the by-election which Nortey won last year was rigged by the NPP.

The NPP parliamentary candidate polled 48,735 against the NDC candidate's 36,112 to win the seat. With Nortey's victory and the imminent defeat of the NDC in the presidential race, Inusah might have to revise his notes and come clean next time.

An NPP government may have to bring a suit against Inusah for tarnishing the name of the party. Already Mr. Kwamena Bartels MP for Ablekuma Central has brought legal action against Inusah. It looks like the new millennium will prove a difficult one for the self-confessed rigging Alhaji. Since resigning from the NPP to pursue what some people call 'stomach politics' the discredited Inusah had persistently levelled vile allegations against his former party. He accused the NPP of which he was the National Manager of rigging in the by-elections. Despite the Electoral Commission's denial of Inusah's claims, he stood his grounds, swearing by Allah he knew what he was talking about, being an insider of the NPP at the time.

Public demand for his arrest to prove the allegations compelled him to withdraw his earlier statement that he was part of the NPP's rigging machinery. The legitimate question posed by many people is, how can an opposition party rig an election from an incumbent government with the state apparatus under its thumb?

In a related development, George Amoo, whose Ayawaso West Wuogon seat was stolen in 1996 has stormed back with a sweet victory over NDC's Elvis Afriyie- Ankrah. Ammo polled 17,555 against Ankrah's 11,388 to win the seat, which was controversially occupied by Rebecca Adotey. Despite the admission by the Electoral Commission that Ammo won the seat, the Ghanaian courts dilly-dallied with the case for four years to ensure Adotey served her full term. Now the people have spoken. Who can challenge the voice of the people?

In a spirit of sportsmanship, Afriyie-Ankrah has conceded defeat and congratulated Amoo for winning the seat.