The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has insisted its decision to withdraw from the Abuakwa North by-election is purely out of respect for the late New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu.
[contextly_sidebar id=”4LFFC22CU4huOPE5pwBETUB6NsPbC1DS”]The NDC yesterday [Wednesday] announced they would not be fielding any candidate in a statement signed by the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah.
The party explained they simply opted out of the by-election because they were saddened by the circumstances surrounding the late MP’s death and would not want to be beneficiaries of the criminal act that saw late legislator stabbed to death last month at his East Legon residence in Accra.
Their decision to withdraw came two days after the NPP elected a tutor at the Akosombo International School, Gifty Twum Ampofo to lead the party in the March 29 by-election.
Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News, The Deputy General Secretary of the party, Koku Anyidoho, explained that the NDC were only trying to be sensitive to the tragic circumstances of the poll and not claim victory in the constituency over spilled blood.
“The National Executive Committee of the party decided that we are not going to take advantage of the gruesome murder of Honorable JB Danquah-Adu and as it were swim in his blood to what we believe will be a possible victory for us in that constituency.”
The Deputy General Secretary was also of the view any competition for the seat would innevitably breed tension and ultimately desecrate the memory of JB Danquah.
“The question is do we want to desecrate the memory of the honorable member by going into a by-election that we know the NPP wants to win desperately and we too want to win desperately and heap up some unnecessary dust? No.”
NDC are cowards
But the Eastern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Kingston Ohemeng Kissi, however dismissed the NDC’s reasons for not participating and called them cowards.
According to him, the NDC pulled out of the race because they were afraid they would lose the seat.
The Eastern Regional NPP Chairman further dared the NDC to rescind its decision.
Abuakwa Parliamentary results
The Abuakwa North seat has largely been an NPP since the constituency’s creation in 2004.
In the last election in 2012, the late MP beat the NDC’s Victor Smith by a difference of about 6,000 votes.
But the NDC’s result in 2012, was an improvement from the past considering that in 2004, the NPP won the seat by 16, 000 votes as against 7,000 votes for the NDC.
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By Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana