We won't vote for 'arrogant Sam George'

Residents of the Ningo-Prampram constituency have swiftly responded to a 'presidential' plea by President John Dramani Mahama to them not to vote 'Skirt and Blouse' (voting for the presidential candidate of the NDC and voting against the parliamentary candidate) in the December 7 polls, as they have threatened.

According to President Mahama, the people should bury their differences and rally behind Samuel Nartey George, the NDC candidate to retain the seat for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the area.

But in a sharp response to the president, some members of the electorate who angrily spoke to The National Tribute on Saturday said they will not vote for someone who doesn't respect anybody in the constituency including their chiefs.

"We will not vote for him and if the president continues begging us to vote for such an arrogant person who lacks basic leadership skills, we will change and vote against the president too," a group of residents at Dawhenya told this paper.

Some of them accused the president of accommodating a disrespectful and rude person at the presidency adding that "if the presidency can accommodate such characters, Ningo-Prampram constituency deserves a decent leader as a Member Of Parliament".

A visit to both Old and New Ningo revealed that most electorate are not happy with the president's comment describing it as 'too late an intervention'.

Though, many members of the electorate are still committed to voting for President John Mahama, they clearly told this paper that the party is losing the parliamentary seat, come what may, as most influential party members, including some elders and youth groups in the constituency have vouched to vote 'skirt and blouse' in the upcoming elections against the parliamentary candidate.

Sam George has incurred the displeasure of the elders of the party, including the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Enoch Teye Mensah, who was conspicuously absent during the campaign launch and during the president's visit to the constituency on Friday.

The NDC parliamentary aspirant is not also in the good books of the chiefs in the area because of his reportedly insulting and arrogant behaviour.

President Mahama stated, "There should be no skirt and blouse; there should be no trousers and shirt but all we need is overall." Such support, the president noted, will ensure that he gets majority MPs to enable him work efficiently when he wins the December poll.

Touching on factionalism within the NDC in the area of which the president entreated the various divisions to unite, some members of the electorate at Afienya said the president's call was too late to change the decision of the people.

President Mahama made the statement when he took his tour of the Greater Accra Region to Afienya in the Ningo-Prampram Constituency.

He further promised to commence the construction of a Community Day Senior High School (SHS) at Afienya.

General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, urged the people to forge ahead to retain the NDC in the constituency by voting for Sam George and President Mahama.

According to him, some members of the electorate in the area are creating the bad blood between the incumbent MP, E.T Mensah and Sam George.