The NDC lost in Tema east and west parliamentary seats because of the arrogance, selfishness and wickedness of Kempes Ofosuware, the parliamentary candidate of Tema East. As the Chief Executive of Tema Metropolitan Assembly (T.M.A) he made it his policy to help NPP members with contracts and jobs in other to wow them into NDC at expense of NDC members. This annoyed the NDC members in both east and west to vote for the presidential candidate but voted against their parliamentary candidates (skirt and blouse).
He organized NPP members to remove a leading NDC member called Mark Addo as a branch chairman and replaced him with a well known NPP masquerader. He did same to one Noah and also tried it on the chairman of the Kenkey Branch.
In 2008 Kempes Ofosuware as parliamentary candidate for the Tema East constituency campaigned Skirt and blouse and asked the electorate to vote for Nana Addo but vote for him. According to him Tema is NPP Strong hold so he goes pleading with them. That theory did not make sense to some of us. We have to meet NPP boot for boot and rustle power from them as men rather than go begging for votes.
We don’t believe that Tema is an NPP stronghold, they won it through hard work and organizing and not on a sliver plate as some people think; and through hard work we can also win it, for organization determines every thing. Some people also think we lose in Tema because of Akan dominated. Let us assume that to be correct. NDC won in three Akan regions out of five, so we simply could not reach out to the electorates. Also the NDC in Tema was defeated in major non-Akan communities such as Site One in the Padmore Electoral Area.
What is even more shocking was his conduct in the 2010 District Assembly Elections. He supported NPP executive members against NDC members. For example he supported Asumah the NPP Constituency Chairman in the Tema East Padmore Electoral Area. In Tema West he ensured the defeat of the then Presiding Member of the Assembly who is an NDC strong man.
Kempes employed Kwesi Poku an NPP member who lost the assembly election at TMA and supported and encouraged him to win the assembly elections the second time. At this time most of our members in Tema west lost including the Presiding Member of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA).
He also sponsored Kwesi Poku to organize the Tema Achievers Award with his effigy and that of the award winners displayed boldly on sign boards in Tema east and west to the annoyance of NDC members.
Kempes actually went about asking NPP members to vote for Nana Addo but vote for him (skirt and blouse). He did this in 2008 but Prof. Mills had more votes than he did. He repeated it in 2012 but John Mahama beat him by over two thousand (2000) votes. 2000 angry NDC members voted for their party but voted against the PC, a complete and total rejection of Kempes Ofosuware.
Kempes Ofosuware being a former Constituency Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) thought perhaps he could rely on their support.
Because he campaigned 'skirt and blouse' the NDC members voted against him. He claims he lost by only three votes. Even if had won by tree votes it still an embarrassment.
The December 7th election was a protest vote against Kempes Ofosuware, considering the fact that not only has he been MCE for four years with all the resources at his disposal, Communities 4,7,8 and 9, traditional NPP strongholds have been carved out of Tema East, leaving it with only Community One and Tema New Town.
The General-Secretary of the NDC should investigate this skirt and blouse policy and order a postmortem of the Tema elections.
It was obvious that disaster was coming, but what was not known was the magnitude. The Tema east chairman was beaten at an NDC ward meeting in community on e site two because of how the constituency was been managed with regards to the pro-NPP policy. Kempes was also nearly beating at a meeting at Olams Secondary School Hall by aggrieved NDC members for the same reason. There were complaints and protests in various forms but to no avail. Only a fool will be surprised that he lost since there was no change in policy.
It will be suicidal to maintain Kempes Ofosuware as TMA Boss because he could not leave up to expectation.
Jake Addo
Chairman Dr. Ayerh Branch
Site 18 com one Tema
[email protected]