My attention has been drawn to a comment purported to have been made by Pollster Ben Ephson in the Wikileaks (cable 08ACCRA1473, GHANA ELECTIONS: POLLSTER SEES A SQUEAKER), where he alleged that the NPP paid students in Cape Coast, an amount of 100 Ghana Cedis each to get their votes transferred to the constituency in other to enhance the electoral chances of the then Parliamentary candidate of the NPP.

As the TESCON President and student representative on the NPP Regional campaign team at the time, I wish to bring to the attention of all, that, the purported claim made by him it’s a palpable lie and should be treated with absolute contempt. I am therefore calling on Mr Ephson to provide evidence to the effect or come out openly to render an unqualified apology to students at the time.

Finally, as we all discuss the leaked cables and draw our lessons as a country, I want to urge all Ghanaians particularly the media not to lose the discussions on the developmental challenges that still confronts us as a people, America, which is most hit by these cables, are today debating 'the American Jobs Act', we in Ghana can do same.

Thank you.

Davis Opoku Ansah Youth Activist (Former TESCON President, UCC, 2008-2009)

0244861593

Reference

¶7. (C) The NPP, according to Ephson, had offered him 30,000 Ghanaian Cedis ($25,000) to publicly tilt his polls towards their party, an offer he refused. Other journalists, he said, are on a virtual retainer from the NPP. He also told Poloffs that the NPP had approached the cash-strapped PNC party and offered to pay for their polling agents, a proposal they sensibly declined. Finally, he said that the NPP was paying students in Cape Coast 100 Cedis to transfer their votes in an attempt to elect an NPP member as Parliamentarian from that key constituency.