Some members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the New Edubiase Constituency in the Ashanti Region has vowed to vote ‘skirt and blouse’ in the upcoming December elections 2020 if their needs are not met.
According to a group that called itself the Aggrieved NDC Members in the New Edubiase Constituency numbering 5321, the Parliamentary Candidate (PC) Abdul Salam Adans has been imposed on them.
The party denied the nine hundred and thirty six (936) delegates of the NDC in the constituency who should have been given the chance to vote for a preferred candidate inspite of several calls on the leadership to adhere to due process before PC’s acclamation last year.
To this effect, the Aggrieved NDC Members of the area sworn to vote for John Mahama and the NPP PC, George Boahen Oduro if the party hierarchy refused to listen to their plight for the right thing to be done prior to the barely 82 days to the general elections.
At a press briefing, the Group Chairman, George Mensah who doubles as the NDC Constituency Director of Elections stated there was a breach of the NDC Constitution “Article 46 clause (8) section b”, which frown on “Anti-party conduct that interfere and that put the party in ridicule, hatred or contempt” against the current crop of constituency executives and the candidate, Abdul Salam Adams himself.
The chairman alleged that the executives and the 2020 NDC Parliamentary Candidate, PC during the 2016 Elections preached “skirt and blouse; some of whom were visibly seen paying losing bonus against the then PC, Ernest Kofi Yakah”.
“As a group, we have pondered thoroughly over the misunderstanding that has engulfed the party in the constituency and decided to do the honourable thing considering the article 46 of the NDC Constitution and its implications”, Mr. Mensah stated.
“….in light of this, the group deems it highly to stay away from the party to enable them re-launch and embark on the journey of skirt and blouse that was born four years ago (2016) in the New Edubiase Constituency which saw our first and ever lost of the parliamentary seat”, he added.
The New Edubiase Constituency until 2016 had been a stronghold of the opposition NDC in the Ashanti region after it lost the seat for the first time since 1992 to the NPP after division and apathy set into the rank and file in the run up to the elections.
Several visits to the constituency in 2016, the construction of New Edusiase Town Roads and a sports stadium by the former President John Dramani Mahama would not yield the seat to his parliamentary candidate, Ernest Kofi Yakah for a fourth term.
The NPP won the seat for the first time with George Boahen Oduro polling 18,477 representing 56.47% of valid votes cast against NDC’s Ernest Kofi Yakah’s 14,050 representing 42.94%.
The aggrieved group has vowed to extend the margin between the NPP and the NDC by 10,000 votes if their party, NDC goes ahead with Abdul Salam Adams as its parliamentary candidate for the 2020 elections; they would however vote for the party’s presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama.
