Ganiu was a polling agent for Kennedy Agyapong in the North East Region
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) held a Special Delegates Conference on August 26, 2023, which saw Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia winning over 68% of valid votes cast.
The fallout of the election which was held to reduce the number of flagbearer hopefuls from 10 to five, however, has been riddled with accusations of threats, intimidation, assault and bribery from the camp of two other leading candidates.
Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong and former Trade and Industry Minister, John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen came second and third with respective votes of 132 and 95.
At a press conference held by Kennedy Agyapong’s campaign team on Monday, August 28, 2023, some of his polling agents and campaign team members shared their stories of threats, intimidation, assault and inducement during the voting exercise.
The flagbearer hopeful’s agent for the North East Region, one Ganiyu revealed how himself and the agent of Mr Kyerematen resisted monetary inducement from the party’s regional chairman, Nurudeen Fuseini amidst threats of assault.
“When the people were lining up to vote they were all showing their vote to the next person following them. After voting, the first three people showed their votes to each other, confusion erupted at the turn of the fourth person who is the regional youth organiser.
"When that happened, I had been told by my superior, the national campaign manager not to sign the pink sheet.
"Then the regional chairman said they are going to give us some amount of money, GHC2000. I said no, we are not there for money and he insisted that they were going to increase the amount but I said no, whatever amount they were going to give, we were not ready for it.
"So, afterwards we told him we are leaving, myself and the agent of Hon Kyerematen and Kojo Poku’s agent. Then he run and locked the door asking that we better go and sign, if we don’t sign, we were not going to leave the hall.
"Then I said chairman, we will not sign because we are under supervision, unless they kill us… He even told us that if we go out, he will allow boys to attack us,” Ganiu alleged.
Ostensibly having received reports of the alleged happenings in the North East Region, Kennedy Agyapong who was following the election from the Central Region was captured on video threatening a “showdown” over the treatment of his agents.
According to Ganiu, tension at the North East polling station deescalated after reports of Kennedy Agyapong’s outburst reached persons at the polling station leading to the normalisation of things for voting to proceed.
In the end however, Dr Bawumia obtained all 28 votes (100%) from the North East Region.
Kennedy Agyapong has since been invited by the party’s disciplinary committee who have launched an investigation into some of the incidents reported from the election.
Meanwhile, the party has set November 4, 2023, to hold a general delegates congress to elect a flagbearer from the shortlist of five for the 2024 presidential election.
I reacted against injustice and that saved the life of GANIU one of my polling station agents in North East.#ShowDown pic.twitter.com/9SO1hweWw8
— Hon. Ken Ohene Agyapong (@honkenagy) August 29, 2023
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