NPP’s Osei Ameyaw’s Parliamentary Victory In Limbo

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP)-elect for Asuogyaman Constituency in the Eastern Region, Mr. Osei Kofi Ameyaw has come under the watchful eyes of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) for setting out fraudulent tactics to win the parliamentary seat.

The Herald has intercepted a list of electoral officers who confirmed receiving unspecified sums of money as bribe from Mr. Osei Ameyaw to manipulate the parliamentary results in his favour in the Asuogyaman Constituency.

The corrupt act is said to have led to the emergence of four strange ballot boxes at the collation center prior to the counting of the votes. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is said to have raised some protest over the strange ballots boxes, but it was ignored, and instead counted and added to the valid votes cast in the absence the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Mr. Joses Asare-Akoto.

A police officer who was preventing the addition of the strange ballot boxes was slashed with a knife during counting and had to be rushed to the Volta River Authority (VRA) hospital at Akosombo.

The BNI office in the Eastern Region, The Herald learnt has placed Mr. Osei-Ameyaw under and the electoral officers under investigation over the bribery claim.

The District Electoral Officer, Mr. Samuel Rexford Asante and the Returning Officer, Mr. Theophilius Buertey, who were caught receiving the bribes, gave out names of thirteen other electoral officers who also pocketed part of the bribe money.

They include Benjamin Acheampong, Opoku Temeh Abigail, Asare Kingsley Kofi, Fred Asare Debrah, Mireky Harison, Opata Olivia, Gasne Gabriel, Frederick Davis, Venunye Mordzi, Ansah Boadu Freeman, Nartey Gabriel, Tekpertey Peter and Agbenyor Blessings.

The names were captured on the list signed by Mr. Asante, dated November 5 in which he said the officers were undergoing training as electoral officers, have had their appointment “terminated immediately”.

The Herald gathered that Mr. Osei-Ameyaw was subsequently arrested by the officials of BNI upon a tip-off, but was later freed to enable him monitor the election.

Meanwhile, supporters of the ruling NDC are currently agitating in the area over what they say is the reluctantceby the BNI officials to speed up with the investigation for the law to take its course.

Surprisingly, a petition dated December 5, to the Eastern Regional Electoral Director by the Constituency executives of the NDC to disallow the officers involved in the scandal from presiding over the poll was ignored allowing the bribed officers to supervise the elections.

“We wish to state that these officers cannot be trusted since they have compromised on their integrity and are part of the returning officers mentioned-aboved and wish the commission terminate their appointment too.”

It stressed that, “this act is criminal and we wish to bring this to your notice so that all the necessary action is taken. We have also forwarded similar complain to the police and our party headquarters,” said the petition. The Herald was informed that the result was declared in the absence of the NDC candidate, Mr. Asare-Akoto. He was protesting against the addition of the four strange ballot boxes which had their seals tampered with.

This paper has also learnt that a police officer who attempted to resist the election materials from being tampered had his hand chopped with knife when a scuffle ensued. The constituents are for the least calling re-election to be organized since the process was not transparent.

Meanwhile other reports making round in the Asuogyaman claim that Mr. Osei-Ameyaw has been distributing some faked Ghanaian currencies in the area and that some of polling agents got some of these currencies prior to the election.

Mr. Osei-Ameyaw polled 20,715 votes as against the incumbent MP, Rev. Dr. Akoto who had 18,650.