Raphael Sarfo Patrick being prevented by an EC officer from dropping his stamped ballot paper
VICE PRESIDENT Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia polled a staggering 97 votes to win the Ashanti Regional Special Delegates election of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in polls which was filled with drama on Saturday, August 26, 2023.
The second position was taken by a native of the Ashanti Region and former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, who surprisingly managed just 10 votes in a region he was tipped to perform better.
The third position was also occupied by a native of Cape Coast, Kennedy Agyapong, who polled six votes to finish ahead of another Ashanti native, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, who managed to secure just five valid votes cast.
Surprisingly, all the remaining contestants, failed woefully to secure even a single vote when the results were declared. There were wild jubilations at the KNUST Law Faculty, venue of the polls by Dr. Bawumia’s supporters.
Drama
Meanwhile, drama unfolded when the Ashanti Regional NPP Youth Organizer, Raphael Sarfo Patrick, was prevented from dropping his stamped ballot into the ballot box after he had gone through the voting process.
This followed accusations that he (Sarfo Patrick) had shown his stamped ballot to the public for them to know the particular candidate that he had voted for, an action which was not permitted in the elections.
But in a sharp rebuttal on his Facebook platform, Sarfo Patrick, stated that “Ignore the fake reportage. I didn’t show any vote as being reported. This is a folded ballot paper ready to be dropped into the ballot box”.
Certainly not happy about the turn of events, he added “This is the evidence of what happened as captured by the cameras of the media”. He also posed a picture of when he was about to drop his folded ballot into the ballot box to buttress his claim.
MP Misses Voting Time
In a related development, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Atwima Nwabiagya South, Emmanuel Agyei Ahwere, who was eligible to vote, unfortunately, missed the voting time by some few minutes.
The lawmaker, who couldn’t exercise his franchise, later on told journalists that he had attended an important funeral rites earlier on the day, and he got stuck in a vehicular traffic when rushing to the election venue, hence missing the voting period.
Tight Security
Meanwhile, there was tight security at the election venue as armed policemen were seen stationed at vantage points in a manner that showed that indeed the police in the Ashanti Region were ready to deal with any eventuality.
The heavy presence of the policemen eventually proved dividend as the important party programme was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere. The electoral process, notably voting, was also free and fair.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi