Ashanti Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Joseph Yamin, has accused the New Patriotic Party of attempting to scuttle the Special Delegates Congress slated for August 31 at the Kumasi Sports Stadium.
According to Mr. Yamin, the NPP has painted the venue with posters of their flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo, a few days before the congress commences.
Speaking to Patrick Ayumu on Radio XYZ 93.1 FM’s Elections Strongroom on Monday afternoon, Mr. Yamin said “yesterday, the NPP went round the Sports Stadium, the venue for the congress, to hang their flags and paste their posters of Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo all over the place and this is what is causing problems in the Ashanti Region.”
He said morally, it makes no sense for the NPP to go round the area to paste their posters after the NDC announced the venue as its congress grounds.
“This can only bring chaos and not peace because I am very sure that if things like this had happened to the NPP, they would have raised issues about it,” he said, adding it is surprisingly that the NPP Regional Chairman in the region is going round justifying such an action.
“Do you think that this is sensible enough for a party to be doing this even though its flagbearer is preaching peace… I am sure that the NPP knowing very well that this congress is going to shake the foundations of the Ashanti region, to shake the foundations of this country and is going to prove to everybody in this country that indeed the NDC, [President] Mahama, a formidable candidate and the only alternative to the NDC government wants to create problems.”
He said the actions of the NPP has incurred the wrath of the NDC youth who vowed to deface the posters but have since been calmed by party executives.
Mr Yamin however gave the indication that the NDC was ready for the Special Congress intended to endorse the candidature of President John Mahama following the death of the party’s flagbearer in the December polls about a month ago.
“The Congress venue has been secured. The mounting of stages, decorations are currently underway; venue; venue for the launch is also the same. Accreditation moving down and delegates are preparing to come so we are about 80 percent done,” he assured. But the Regional Secretary of the NPP, Mr Sam Pyne, has dared the NDC youth in the area to pull down the posters if they are prepared for the heat that will be rained on them.
As far as he is concerned, there NPP has not erred because there are no laws restricting the pasting of posters anywhere in the country and that the NDC should stop crying wolf.
“It amazes me that such ridiculous thought and logic should be propounded around. There is nowhere in the constitution that propounds that political parties should put the posters somewhere else,” Mr. Pyne said.
He explained that the posters are not on the Sports Stadium as is being alleged but on electric polls around Subin near the stadium. He insisted that every party has every right to put their posters everywhere as long as they are not placed on the posters of others.