NPP primaries: Drama, Superstition in New Juaben North

The usual tension and misunderstanding that characterise political activities were at play during the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primary held on Saturday, in the New Juaben North constituency of the Eastern Region.

Tension was high in the lead-up to the primary, following the determination of all the five (5) candidates aspiring to win the race.

The five were; Seth Kwame Acheampong, the current Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Joseph Osei Djaba, Mr. Sampson Kwesi Annor, Mr. Twum Yeboah and Nana Osei Adjei, popularly known as Djoe.

On the voting day, which was a Saturday, there were allegation of superstition directed at the camps of the Regional Minister and Nana Osei Adjei, popularly known as Djoe, at the Effiduase Methodist School, the venue for the election.

An intense verbal and physical fight (between the factions) ensued in an effort to neutralise each other.

In the process, it was alleged that Djoe’s supporters attacked the security officer attached to the Eastern Regional minister, resulting in a head injury, whilst one Asirifi Benjamin, from Djoe’s camp, also became unconscious after he allegedly received a hefty slap from an unidentified member from the minister’s camp.

Both victims were rushed to the Koforidua Regional Hospital and have since been treated and discharged.

Speaking to the media after he was treated and discharged, Mr. Asirifi Benjamin, who is also a member of Djoe’s operational team and Effiduase Polling Station chairman, indicated that they (the operational team of Djoe) went to the venue for the election at about midnight on Friday to look at the preparations.

According to him, upon reaching the venue, they saw a mixture of salt and maize sprinkled at the various entrances to the venue, with others buried at the sitting places of the Electoral Commission (EC) officials.

The Effiduase Polling Station chairman and operational team for Djoe continued that, just as they were wondering who could have done that, a pastor came to them looking for a place to pray.

According to him, they gladly asked the pastor, whose name was not given at the time of filing this report, to use the election ground after they had narrated the frightening situation to him.

Mr. Asirifi hinted that the pastor then brought out anointing oil and started pouring it on the sprinkled salt and maize as he prayed.

He stated that before the first pastor could finish praying, a second pastor arrived, telling them the sprinkled salt and maize was done for spiritual purposes and that they needed to pray to reverse whatever the unknown people had done.

The member of Djoe’s camp mentioned that one of his colleagues later decided to go for a broom to sweep away the sprinkled salt and maize at the election grounds, as the two pastors continued praying.

He said at this point they saw the constituency Secretary, Mr. Afram, also coming to the venue so they approached him to tell him what they had seen, but the Secretary asked them to leave the grounds.

They (Djoe’s team), however, decided not to leave, a situation that the constituency Secretary was not happy with and called some people, believed to come from the Regional Minister’s camp, to come to the venue.

Mr Asirifi stressed that the misunderstanding later led to verbal and physical exchanges between the two camps and in the process, someone from the minister’s camp that he could not immediately identify, gave him a heavy slap and he fell unconscious.

All efforts to speak to the minister’s camp proved unsuccessful because they were not interested in the matter.

The election was, however, conducted peacefully as all parties, including delegates, supporters and candidates were calm.

At the end of the election, Nana Osei Adjei, popularly known as Djoe, recorded 253 votes out of a 490 that were cast.

The Eastern Regional Minister,  Seth Kwame Acheampong polled 183 votes whilst Mr. Joseph Osei Djaba, Mr. Sampson Kwesi Annor and Mr. Twum Yeboah had 47, 2 and 3 respectively with two (2) rejected votes.

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