One of the defeated parliamentary aspirants of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Bongo Constituency, Prof. Avea Ephraim Nsoh has accused his opponents in the just ended primaries of the party of inducing delegates to vote them.
Speaking in an interview on State of Our Nation, Prof. Avea said his contenders; Edward Bawa (incumbent MP for the area) and Charles Bawa Dua (NDC’s parliamentary candidate-elect) did not only spread malicious falsehoods against his person but also engaged in massive vote buying and as well kept delegates away from his access.
The delegates, he alleged, were, on the eve of the primaries, camped in the homes of the two candidates, where they were induced with goodies and mouth-watering promises and prevented from having contacts with him as their mobile phones were seized.
They were then, on the D-day, bused to the voting centre and whipped to vote in their favour.
“That eve, it’s possible even on Thursday we didn’t know, my other colleagues went on massive camping, and inducement. They camped them and then after that they gave them the monies like 1,000, the other person, 500 and the most annoying thing is that they kept them in that place, policing them like children and sent my people there to monitor.
They policed them, they pushed them in and take their phones, they wouldn’t allow them to go. They say ‘put your motor here, you’re to go and vote and come back and get your money and go’” he stated.
Prof. Avea claimed the two candidates dolled out as much as 1,000 to each delegate to influence their decision in the primaries.
While describing these acts as disrespectful and insulting to the people that constituted the electoral college, the academic insisted that, but for the foul play by his opponents, he would not have lost the elections.
“That’s corruption and very insulting to our delegates, very disrespectful”.
He added, “there’s no way the two Bawas can beat even if they gave them money and allow them to just come out and vote. They couldn’t have beaten me. It’s not possible”.
He is, however, worried about the monetization of the country’s politics particularly that of the NDC.
According to him, the NDC as a party of the masses shouldn’t be seen to be promoting acts that breed corruption in the country.
