Mankattah?s Son Who Is NPP to Vote for NDC

Desperate to limit the margin of defeat the party is likely to suffer in the up-coming bye-elections in the Odododiodoo constituency, the NPP has selected Sydney Lennox Mankattah, the eldest son of the late NDC MP, Samuel Ayikwei Mankattah as its candidate.

The decision to use the son of the late MP was taken at the Castle. Indeed Sydney Mankattah has confided in close confidantes that at a secret meeting with President Kufuor, where the President convinced him to accept to run on the ticket of the NPP, he was promised that all debts owed by his father would be paid by the government. According to the close confidante, it was made clear to Sydney Mankattah that should he refuse to stand on the ticket of the NPP then he should not expect the government to be patient with his family when it comes to paying whatever debt the late MP might be owing the state. "The NDC would allow you to run on its ticket, and if you don't take advantage of the opportunity the NPP is giving you to stand on our ticket, then the car that should have come to your father would go to someone else. You see why you must stand on our ticket so that the good things that were coming to your father do not go to someone else? All you have to do is to present yourself as our candidate. Even if you do not win the seat for us we will adequately compensate you," Sydney Mankattah was said to have been told by the President. Following his decision to accept to run on the ticket of the NPP, a panel that included the Rt. Hon. Peter Ala Adjetey, and the Mayor of Accra, Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson were given the task of ?talking' the other aspirants out of the race. The Lens intelligence has picked up indications that ?talking' the other aspirants out of the race included thinly veiled promises of being adequately ?taken care of' by the party. The Mankattah confidante, who spoke to the Lens on condition of anonymity, revealed that in spite of the fact that the family of the late MP was not in agreement with what his son was being asked to do, Sydney had to accept to be the candidate of the NPP so that they can have their peace of mind, since the viciousness of the NPP is legendary. According to the confidante, Sydney Lennox Mankattah tells close confidantes that he knows that his father died an NDC supporter and there is no way he would turn his back on his father, and that the only reason why he has accepted to stand on the ticket of the NPP is to protect himself and his family from the known viciousness of the NPP. He is said t have told a least one confidante that "I am going to vote for the NDC candidate."

According to the Lens sources, the decision to vote for the NDC is a family decision and there is no way Sydney would be able to do otherwise. "After all, is voting not done secretly? So how would they know if he voted for the NPP or not? If he refused to stand for the NPP, he and is family would be harassed but if he stands and he loses, nobody can blame him for losing. Besides, there is some free money to be made because the NPP knows how to play the money game. My brother who does not like free money?" intoned the source.