NDC denies bribery and underhand dealings at Tafo primary

Kumasi, Sept 30, GNA - Mr Kwame Nti-Fordjour, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NDC, has rejected accusations of bribe taking and other underhand dealings during the party's primary in the Old Tafo constituency in Kumasi.

"These are absolutely without merit, baseless and infantile. The election of the parliamentary candidate was done in strict conformity with the NDC's guidelines. It was very open and transparent," he said. Mr Nti-Fordjour was re-acting to threats by a group of NDC supporters to back Mr A.D.D. Quarshie, a defeated candidate at the primary, to contest the December polls as an independent candidate.

They cited alleged manipulation of the delegates' list and bribery involving some of the Regional Executives as basis for their decision. Mr Nti-Fordjour told the GNA that neither he nor any member of the Regional Executive had a hand in the preparation of the list used for the election of the parliamentary candidate.

''The Interim Management Committee (IMC) put in place to run the party in the constituency in the absence of a substantive executive prepared the list.''

The Regional Chairman challenged the group to provide evidence of the amount of money they claimed changed hands. He brushed aside their threats and said the NDC would not condone indiscipline and would sanction those out to discredit the party and its leading members.

"I find it difficult to rationalise why some of us who lose elections do not have the courage to accept defeat in good faith but resort to all sorts of excuses to make scapegoats out of innocent people."