NPP supporters blame Kate Gyamfua for parliamentary defeat

A group calling itself concerned Members of New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Akwatia is blaming the National Women’s Organizer, Kate Gyamfua, for the party’s loss of the Akwatia Parliamentary seat.

Addressing the media Tuesday, the group said Kate Gyamfua never liked and supported the outgoing Member of Parliament, Mercy Adu Gyamfi alias Ama Sey, therefore, deployed all tactics to make her unsuccessful in her political career.

This, the group alleges, manifested during the Parliamentary primaries when votes were manipulated to favor Ernest Yaw Kumi, a darling boy of Kate Gyamfua to unseat Ama Sey as a parliamentary candidate despite his unpopularity in the constituency.

”What we see today started in 2015 when Kate Gyamfua was the deputy National Women’s Organizer and Ama Sey, the Constituency women’s Organizer, and major Financier of our Party between 2012 to 2016. This was the period when NPP was in opposition and indeed she was the main financier during 2016 campaign where she overthrew the infamous Baba Jamal,” Nana Yaw Addo convener of the group claimed.

He continued: “In 2016 when we were preparing to go for primaries to elect a candidate to face Baba Jamal, decided to present a woman for strategic reasons. Their preferred Candidate was Kate Gyamfua but she declined on the basis of her lack of education and inability to speak English if elected to Parliament. Ama Sey availed herself, a decision Kate Gyamfua did not only find disgruntled with but went ahead to fight against through her primaries to the main contest against the NDC. It is common knowledge in Akwatia that Kate Gyamfua supported Baba Jamal to defeat Ama Sey in 2016 but it failed."

The group said that, "all attempts made by some community chiefs and elders to resolve this impasse and unite the two women failed as Kate Gyamfua in most cases did not honour the invitation."

NPP snatched the Akwatia seat from then NDC MP Baba Jamal in 2016. But Ama Sey who won the seat to become Member of Parliament lost her bid for re-election during the Parliamentary primaries of the party. She claimed the primaries was rigged to favour Ernest Yaw Kumi who won by slim margin.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s Parliamentary Candidate Henry Yiadom Boakye won the parliamentary seat with 19,899 votes representing 51.5% while the NPP’s Ernest Kumi secured 18,742 votes representing 48.5% out of the total 38,646-total valid votes cast.

In the presidential election, Nana Akufo-Addo polled 21,758 while former President John Mahama also garnered 16,181 votes

Nana Yaw Addo convener of Concerned Members of NPP in Akwatia said Kate Gyamfua who hails from Akwatia has become a ”rich demi-God” wreaking NPP apart in Akwatia hence the defeat.

“Our 2020 defeat was designed by a cabal between the national women’s Organizer Kate Gyamfua, the DCE- Seth Brinkorang(cousin to Kate Gyamfua), party’s Constituency chairman Baba Yakubu,late first vice chairman, the second vice chair and Women’s Organizer. Late Gyamfua has become a rich demi-god (galamsey kingpin) who owns almost all concessions around our area, therefore, has resorted to the use of intimidation, vilification , tricks, manipulative, and selfish intents in dealing with party people."

The group said many NPP supporters in Akwatia particularly those engaged in mining were angry as Kate Gyamfua “used her power extended to her by the party to determine who can mine or not in our community. If you happen to be on the side of Ama Day’s side during the Primaries, your site allocation will be taken away from you. As a matter of fact, you will be called to the DCE’s residence and given the option to choose between supporting the second term of Ama Sey and your job.”

The group called the bluff threat by the constituency executives to sack Ama Sey from the party and suspend en masse her loyalists.

“We want to declare today that nobody can sack anyone from the party and no one is leaving. We all created the problems we see today and it is a collective responsibility on all of us to find a middle ground to resolve.“