NDC opts out of Ayawaso West Wuogon parliamentary race

The Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency Chairman of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Bismarck Aborbi-Aayitey, has confirmed that the NDC has pulled out of the ongoing by-election over gun violence that greeted the voting process at the La Bawaleshie JHS polling station.

The party has, therefore, directed all its polling station agents and officers to leave the various centres.

“This incident never happened under Atta Mills, it never happened under Kufuor, it didn’t happen under Mahama. So, why is it happening under Akufo-Addo? This is the ‘all-die-be-die’ that Akufo-Addo talked about. We are pulling out and God will punish the President and the NPP”, Mr Aborbi-Aayitey told Kwabena Prah Jnr (The Don) on Thursday, 31 January 2019.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa has described the gun violence as “unfortunate”.

Some macho men in NSC-branded t-shirts who are suspected to be members of a vigilante group attacked some voters at the La-Bawaleshie Presby JHS polling station and fired gunshots, as the electorate voted.

The macho men, numbering about 200, got furious when some voters started taking pictures of them and videoing them.

The macho men destroyed polling station Basic One and carried the ballot boxes away.

Reacting to the gun violence Madam Jean Mensah stated that: “It’s unfortunate because this is just a by-election. You don’t expect to have violence in a by-election.

“It’s just a simple exercise where members of the public go to cast their vote and to exercise their franchise to elect those they will like to lead them, so, it’s not an exercise that should bring about conflict and violence, so, it’s unfortunate but we believe the police are in control.”

The by-election has become necessary following the death of the sitting MP, Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko.

Contesting the seat is the widow of the late MP, Lydia Seyram Alhassan (NPP), Kwasi Delali Brempong (NDC), William Dowokpor (PPP), and Clement Boadi of the LPG.