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Nana Storms Talensi… As police stops NPP rally

By Daily Guide
NPP Nana Storms Talensi8230; As police stops NPP rally
JUL 4, 2015 LISTEN

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, arrived at Talensi in the Upper East Region on Friday to a rousing welcome ahead of Tuesday's crucial by-election in the constituency, occasioned by the resignation of the NPP MP for the area, Robert Mosore.

Ahead of his arrival was a tussle between the police and the NPP, over the holding of the latter's last rally.

News of Nana Addo's arrival in the constituency sent people from various locations racing to catch a glimpse of the man who has promised to redeem the country from its current woes when elected President in 2016.

This sent threatening signals to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its parliamentary candidate, Benson Tongo (BT) Baba.

The ruling party has been distributing items including flat screen television sets to influence voters in villages like Zubeong, Zoo and Yinduri in Talensi even though they do not have electricity.

Others have also been given bicycles, mobile phones, radio sets, rice, cooking oil, fertilizer, sugar, aluminum zinc, weedicides, maggi cubes, salt, clothes and a host of others.

But Akufo-Addo's entry into Talensi seems to have given a major boost to the NPP's campaign to see the election of its parliamentary candidate, Thomas Duanab Wuni, as Member of Parliament (MP) for the area following the exit of Robert Mosore, who is now the chief of the area.

Ploy
The NPP is not enthused about the deliberate attempt by the police to stop the party from going ahead with a planned rally in Tongo, scheduled for Sunday July 5, two clear days ahead of the elections.

Even though the party has satisfied the constitutional requirement of notifying the police not less than five days to holding a public event, the security agencies have asked them to call off the event, claiming the NDC had earlier booked the date for a similar event.

Interestingly, information gathered by DAILY GUIDE indicates that President Mahama is likely to arrive in the constituency the same day, the reason the police want to stop the NPP rally.

NPP's Resolve
But the NPP is hell-bent on going ahead with the intended rally and have since notified the police of their inability to call off the event as contained in a letter addressed to the Regional Police Commander and signed by NPP National Organiser, John Boadu.

They consider the action of the police as part of a grand scheme employed by the ruling party and government to deny them an opportunity to win votes in the area.

The NPP said 'if these blatant and unlawful acts are not stopped, but continued to the polling day of the by-elections on July 7, we are afraid it could cause some serious security concerns', since according to its National Organiser, the shooting incident at the infamous Chereponi by-election is still fresh on their  minds.

Warning
They therefore served notice not to 'succumb to any act of intimidation or arbitrariness.'

Under the Constitution of Ghana, the police have no power and authority to stop a public gathering including political rallies like what the NPP intends to hold.

Only a court of law is mandated to issue such orders if it becomes necessary.

As the clock ticks for Tuesday's by-election, the various political parties, especially NDC and NPP, have magnified their presence in the constituency.

Last week, National Chairman of the NDC, Kofi Portuphy, led a team of party leaders to the constituency to campaign amidst alleged attempts to influence voters with all sorts of freebies.

Afoko, Agyepong Missing
While Portuphy and his colleagues were busy campaigning in Talensi, the home region of NPP National Chairman, Paul Afoko, he himself was in Accra witnessing the swearing in of the newly appointed Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, at the Presidency, Flagstaff House.

Pictures of the event showed Afoko beaming with smiles all over the place with his colleague National Chairman of the People's National Convention (NPP), Ahmed Ramadan, Samia Nkrumah of the Convention People's Party (CPP) and the NDC Vice Chairman, Lee Ocran.

Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong
Samia had already visited the constituency to give moral support to the PNC candidate even though CPP is not fielding a candidate.

Afoko was also seen at the Flagstaff House during the conferment of national honour on Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, immediate-past EC chairman.

From the embattled NPP chairman's frequenting of the Flagstaff House, it appears the place has become his second office.

His General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong was also said to have travelled to London, UK, attending his wife's graduation ceremony and leaving the campaign in the hands of former NPP General Secretary, Dan Kwaku Botwe, and other national executives of the NPP and Vice Presidential candidate in the 2016 elections, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

Dan Botwe has been coordinating the efforts of the NPP team that had been dispatched to Talensi which included Dr Bawumia, who was leading one leg of the campaign, as well as National Organiser, John Boadu, National Youth Organiser, Sammi Awuku, Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Wontumi, Nasara Coordinator, Kamal Deen Abdulahi and the Upper East Regional and constituency executives of the party, who led different legs of the campaign from village to village and door to door.

It is not clear whether Mr Afoko's decision not to go to Talensi was due to a 'fatwa' that had been placed on his head by youth of the region following the killing of former Upper East Regional Chairman of the party, Adams Mahama, for which Afoko's junior brother, Gregory Afoko, has been accused of having a hand in and standing trial.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

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