Wulensi-Type Fraud Cannot Happen At Navrongo - Baba Jamal

The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Baba Jamal, has said that the Navrongo elections would have no room for the repetition of the Wulensi 'electoral irregularities'.

He said the party was working hard to ensure that the Navrongo Central seat comes back to them in the by-election, and that while the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) had hoisted flags all over the place, the NDC was concentrating on working underground.

"Every party has its own strategy so the fact that we are not raising flags does not mean that we are not on the ground, as claimed by a section of the media," said the deputy General Secretary.

Baba Jamal said this in an interview with this reporter on the preparations so far made for the Navrongo Central election and his views on the Wulensi elections.

Jamal repeated the now-famous NDC excuse that, but for the electoral malpractices perpetrated by the ruling party at the Wulensi by-elections, his party would have won the seat.

According to the secretary, the NDC had learnt their lessons from Wulensi and as such, would make all efforts to block the sort of abuse of the electoral process that went on there from happening again.

He stressed that the NDC has its men on the ground who are working hard enough to make sure everything goes on well.

He stressed that it was clear from all indications that the NDC had been on top of the Wulensi election but were not too surprised when the results were released, because it was difficult to believe that within a day, Wulensi was provided with electricity, and a classroom building was also built within three days.

He said that the NDC would be glad to continue to lose and lose honourably and fairly rather than to win by any other means, which makes the electorate lose confidence in the electoral process, which in the long run, undermines the development of the country.

Baba Jamal therefore appealed to the government not to allow the love of power to destroy the electoral process of the country, stating that, "I do not think it is in the interest of this nation that we try and make the electorate believe that when you are in office you can take any means to win power. It is not in the interest of the country," he added.

He advised that the country looks out for an electoral process, which is free and fair so that everyone has confidence in it.

It would be recalled that in 1992, the NDC member, Godfried Abulu won the Navrongo Central seat. But he died in 1995, and in a by-election, Mr. Achiwulor won as an independent candidate.

In 1996, he lost to the NDC candidate, Clement Bugase. And in 2000, Achiwulor stood on the ticket of the NPP and won and was the MP until his death.

A maximum of 43,838 voters are expected to vote, and five people are standing on the tickets of the NPP, NDC, CPP, PNC and DPP.