The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Augustus Nana Kwasi Andrews, has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of orchestrating disruptions during the first Council of State election in the Ashanti Region.
His comments follow the victory of NDC’s Yaw Owusu Obimpeh, who won the Ashanti Regional slot on the Council of State after a rerun on Monday, February 17.
The initial election, held on Tuesday, February 11, was disrupted by a group of thugs, causing confusion and halting proceedings, which led to the Electoral Commission organizing a rerun.
In an exclusive interview on Channel One Newsroom, Andrews claimed that Obimpeh had already won the first election but was unable to secure his victory due to the interference.
“We won the first elections. Some guys came in and disrupted the process,” he said.
He alleged that the NPP was behind the disruption, which led to the Electoral Commission’s decision to organize a rerun.
“Yes, they were, and even today, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, the former Education Minister, and most of the NPP in Ashanti Region were present to back their candidate. The election wasn’t a known Council of State election but became NDC, NPP,” he stated.
Andrews also argued that partisanship in the Council of State election is unavoidable.
“In the Ashanti Region, everything is politics. First, we thought it was non-partisan, but on second thought, we saw our opponents gain a lot of interest in the contest. We saw that the NPP had an interest, and as the chairman of the party, we had to be strategic,” he added.
Former NDC Ashanti Regional Chairman wins Council of State election
