When members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Tema West constituency were looking forward to their ‘darling boy’, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, First Vice Chairman to contest the upcoming parliamentary primary and move ahead to represent the party in the 2016 election, the man has chickened out.
The defeated 2012 parliamentary candidate for the NDC explained that he needed to focus on his daunting task and responsibilities in the NDC at the national level. To him, therefore, combining his parliamentary ambition and his duties as the party’s First Vice Chairman cum Director of Operations, could be more daunting for him, hence his decision.
But, members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the constituency say the former Local Government Minister is running away because of the caliber of the party’s parliamentary candidate, in the person of Carlos Ahenkorah.
The decision of Ofosu-Ampofo, aka ‘Braa’ Sammy Photoo was contained in a press statement released in Tema yesterday.
The Constituency Chairman for the NDC in Tema West, Ben Doe, said he had also heard the reports, but he was yet to receive official information on the matter from Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo himself.
Ben Doe said Ofosu-Ampofo had picked nomination form to contest in the party’s November 7 primaries.
Lawyer James Enu, who represented the NDC in the 2012 parliamentary elections, but lost to New Patriotic Party’s Kofi Brako in the Tema Central constituency, has made a u-turn to file for the NDC primaries in Tema West, thus Ofosu-Ampofo’s decision not to contest the primary leaves the party with one other nominee.
Moments after news broke out that Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo was not contesting the primary, scores of his supporters expressed discontent, shock and bitterness. The Tema West NDC Constituency office was locked up when The Chronicle visited.
Some NDC supporters told the paper in an interview that Ofosu-Ampofo’s decision was a welcome one, though they wished he contested the primary.
According to them, the NPP have fielded a strong candidate in the person of Carlos Ahenkorah and so when Samuel Ampofo filed his nomination to contest the primary, they knew he would win the contest and then face it off with the NPP in the constituency.
They, however, expressed readiness to support an equally formidable candidate from the primaries after November 7.
However, supporters of the NPP believe that ‘Braa’ Sammy Photoo’s decision to chicken out of the primary stems from the fact that even though he knows that he will win the NDC primary, he will lose the proper contest against Carlos Ahenkorah in 2016.
According to them, Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo contested the 2012 parliamentary election because he realized that, the then NPP candidate, Irene Naa Torshie Addo, had lost touch with the grass-roots of the party.
Speaking in an interview with the paper, Kwasi Poku Bosompim, Assemblyman-Elect for the Harcow Electoral area said Mr. Ampofo is running away because the NPP candidate, Carlos Ahenkorah, is too strong for him.
He hinted that Ahenkorah is an all-round person who is loved by all, including members of the NDC in the constituency.
“Therefore, Ampofo is aware that if he decides to contest against Carlos in the 2016 parliamentary elections, he is likely to lose big time, I’m sure that is why he decided to chicken out”, he noted.
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