New Patriotic Party (NPP) General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua has rejected claims circulating online that the party approved GHC2,000 for members of its Tertiary Students Confederacy Network (TESCON) to support their travel to Kumasi ahead of Saturday’s national officers’ elections.
Messages circulating online alleged that the money had been approved to support the delegates’ journey to Kumasi and that Kodua had been mandated to distribute the funds to TESCON members.
Addressing delegates on the eve of election day, Kodua, however, dismissed the claim as propaganda and questioned why the party’s General Secretary would be responsible for distributing funds. He said the allegation had “fallen flat” and warned TESCON delegates to be cautious about what he described as false publications expected to circulate before voting.
“Is the General Secretary the treasurer of the party?” he asked while asking delegates to “be on the lookout for several false publications that will come out from now to tomorrow.”
“If there is any communication from TESCON it shall be communicated by the duly established structure which is the national TESCON coordinator or the regional TESCON coordinator,” he said.
“Any other news is fake.”
Kodua did not identify those behind the messages or provide evidence to substantiate his claim that further false publications were being prepared.
‘Unprecedented victory’
Mr Kodua, who is seeking another term as General Secretary, also expressed confidence in his campaign ahead of Saturday’s vote.
“They know they have lost the elections, so now what they are resorting to is false publication, but it will not wash,” he said.
He added: “The minds of TESCON are already made up and nothing will change our unprecedented victory tomorrow.”
The NPP is due to elect its national officers at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Saturday, with the elections covering nine national executive positions.
The General Secretary position is being contested by Mr Kodua, former Subin MP Eugene Boakye Antwi, former Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfro MP Sylvester Tetteh and Dr Charles Dwamena.
Zero tolerance for vote buying
Meanwhile, a member of the NPP National Elections Committee, Anthony Abayifaa Karbo, has warned that any candidate caught engaging in vote buying during the party’s national elections will be disqualified.
Speaking to AsaasePa News at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium ahead of the national delegates conference, Mr Karbo said vote buying was prohibited under the rules governing the elections.
He also said candidates would not be allowed to “camp” delegates ahead of Saturday’s vote, arguing that the delegates were experienced party officials capable of making their own decisions.
“Any candidate who finds himself in vote buying will be disqualified from the elections,” he said.
“Let any candidate be caught in that exercise that has the tendency to bring the name of the party into disrepute. Then you would know that the elephant has teeth to bite,” he added.
source: asaaseradio.com
