Taking part in primaries 'would be akin to knowingly drinking from poisoned calabash’ – Dr. Duffuor

National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer hopeful, Dr Kwabena Duffuor has announced his withdrawal from the party's flagbearership race, scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 13, 2023.

Dr. Duffuor stated that participating in the election would be the equivalent of knowingly drinking from a poisoned calabash.

“I wish to reiterate my commitment to the party and its grassroots. However, my concerns that the party is not ready to conduct a free and fair election are evident for all to see. Taking part in such would be akin to knowingly drinking from a poisoned calabash,” he said.

Speaking in a press briefing on Friday, May 12, 2023, Dr. Duffuor emphasized that his decision to withdraw from the race was based on a lack of preparedness within the party to ensure an impartial electoral process.

He highlighted several issues that could compromise the integrity of the upcoming election; accusing some officials of ignoring agreed upon processes.

One of the key concerns raised by Dr. Duffuor is the irregularities surrounding the voter register. He pointed out that significant discrepancies needed to be addressed, casting doubt on the accuracy and fairness of the election.

Furthermore, Dr. Duffuor alleged that the NDC had commenced the distribution of ballot papers to various regions and constituencies without the involvement of the candidates.

“…However, despite the assurances given to myself and my team by the Chairman of the Party, the executives of the party, in an act of complete and unacceptable breach of faith, went ahead to convene a press conference announcing that the elections would go ahead tomorrow, without having resolved the concerns surrounding the voters register decided at the meeting of the Council of Elders.

“As at this time, the party has begun distributing the ballot papers to the various regions and constituencies without our involvement.

“After consulting with my support base nationwide, I have been left with no choice but to withdraw from the Presidential election as I cannot contest in an election which is blatantly fraught with irregularities regardless of all my efforts to draw attention to same,” he added.

Earlier, GhanaWeb reported that Dr. Kwabena Duffuor had withdrawn an interlocutory injunction filed against the party primaries.

Dr. Kwabena Duffuor filed a case in court on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, for an interlocutory injunction on the NDC primaries.



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AM/SARA