They want me dead - NDC parliamentary candidate cries out

Dr. Anthony Osei Gyimah, the embattled National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Abuakwa North, who stepped down on Monday following pressure mounted on him by the party to pave way for Emmanuel Victor Smith, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), to contest the seat, says he lives in fear.

Gyimah, after his resignation told DAILY GUIDE yesterday that he took the decision to step down following a threat on his life by unknown persons who wanted him dead.

He said “I don’t drive around anymore because people know my car; so now I pick taxis when I want to go out. Even with the taxi, I don’t go out alone; I move about accompanied by someone. Since that guy called me three days ago to talk to me, I don’t trust people anymore.

“I’m a private person but I decided to go into politics because whenever I come down to Ghana I see my people suffering and so I decided to sacrifice my job abroad and for the past nine months I’ve been in Ghana. I have not earned any money and I’m using my life savings to do all these for these people. This is because I think whatever I enjoy in life, others must also enjoy so that is why I came to Ghana to serve my people.”

He added: “If they want me out, I can walk out; I have sacrificed a lot for the past nine months. Since I started working towards the primary till now, I’ve never earned any money from anybody but I’m surviving. No one can value the sacrifice I’ve made. But if they think they can force me out, then I’ll walk out…that is me. I want my party to win so I will give the president all the support,” Dr Gyimah stated.

Mr Smith is lacing his boots for the parliamentary race of the Abuakwa North Constituency in the Eastern Region.

Yesterday he picked nomination forms for the primary of the NDC in the constituency to be organized possibly next week.

Mr Smith’s nomination form was picked by an aide on his behalf at the Koforidua regional office of the party Wednesday afternoon.

The seat became vacant following the murder of Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who walloped him in the 2012 election.

The constituency is a stronghold of the opposition NPP.

GH¢1m Offer

Dr Gyimah, the president’s in-law, however, denied reports by DAILY GUIDE that he accepted GH¢1 million offer from Ambassador Victor Smith.

“I have no knowledge about that money. Victor’s guys were chasing me to offer me the money but I didn’t accept it. I resigned on personal reasons,” he posited.

Shock

Dr Gyimah’s decision has shocked many NDC supporters in the Abuakwa North Constituency because they saw him as a viable candidate to capture the seat from the NPP.

DAILY GUIDE earlier published that Dr Gyimah had received a whopping GH¢1 million from Mr Smith, who was said to be interested in the position.

The paper had stated that Mr Smith was mounting pressure on Dr Gyimah to accept the money and step down for him (Smith).

But Mr Smith and a group – Friends of Victor Smith – that supported him in the 2012 election in the constituency, led by Kwame Owusu Danso, denied the publication.