Lawyer William Kusi, the head of the communication team for New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful Kennedy Agyapong in the Ashanti Region, has accused one of the contenders in the race, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, of vote-buying and proxy voter manipulation to sway the outcome of the internal election.
In a press release, Lawyer Kusi raised concerns about the integrity of the upcoming presidential primaries stating thus: "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, it has come to the public notice that even though this is an internal election, there have been some practices in the party in which people are trying to use all means to win the super delegates election."
He alleged that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's camp has been actively courting party chairmen with financial incentives.
He further explained that the vice president has allegedly urged the said chairmen to register as proxy voters and offered a sum of fifty thousand Ghana cedis (GH¢ 50,000) per chairman to secure their support for his bid.
"Information reaching us indicates that the camp of the vice president is buying the votes of the chairmen and requesting them to register as proxy voters.
"He is offering as much as fifty thousand Ghana cedis per chairman to accomplish that diabolic agenda.
"We call on the party to take immediate action and ensure that there is free and fair elections to avoid any misunderstanding and subsequent protestation after the conduct of the elections," parts of the letter read.
However, Paul Kwabena Yandoh, administrator of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Communicators Directorate and Administrative Manager at Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's office has refuted the said allegations.
Kwabena Yandoh questioned the authenticity of the claims, pointing out that it is hypocritical for the opposing camp, led by Kennedy Agyapong, to cry foul considering the fact that his camp has consistently boasted of their financial superiority.
Yandoh further argued that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is performing his duties as the Vice President and serving the party diligently.
"Why do you people accuse others from the opposing camp of sharing money? Sometimes, when you meet people, they claim that others are giving away two hundred thousand, plus cars. And now the lawyer is also saying that they are sharing GH¢50,000, which makes the ordinary Ghanaian worry that the NPP primaries is all about money. This is not true, do you understand?
"And in any case, aren't you the same people who claim to have money? Kennedy Agyapong and his supporters, aren't you the ones who boasted about having money? Now that the conqueror, the champion, the lion is here, you are complaining that someone else is using money to gain votes. You always campaigned for people to vote for someone with wealth; you urged them to vote for Kennedy because he has opened steel factories and achieved other accomplishments.
“The vice president is diligently performing his job, so why is it that there have been so many allegations against him?"
Kennedy Agyapong will contest for the flagbearership slot along with nine other contenders including former trade minister Alan Kyerematen and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who are seen as his main challengers.
The NPP will slash the 10 candidates, who passed the vetting stage, down to five in a preliminary vote (set for August) before the main contest is held in November 2023 to elect a successor to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as leader of the party.
AM/SARA
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