NDP Candidate Arrested

Drama unfolded last Saturday at Juaben in the Ashanti region when the National Democratic Party (NDP) parliamentary candidate for the area was arrested at a rally. According to reports, Appiah Osei Kwabena was addressing his party faithful when suddenly three policemen in mufti arrested him to the utter surprise of NDP followers and sympathizers. A policeman, who confirmed the report to DAILY GUIDE on condition of anonymity, said the NDC candidate for Juaben, Vida Addai told the police that the NDP candidate was defaming her character to win cheap votes. According to the NDC candidate, Osei Kwabena allegedly moved round the constituency with her picture and informed the electorate that she had stepped down to support him. The NDP candidate was also accused of informing the communities that Yamoah Ponkoh, the MCE Ejisu/Juaben had declared his support for him. Osei Kwabena�s alleged actions and utterances were said to have convinced several voters of the newly created Juaben Constituency, compelling the NDC candidate to call for his arrest. A police source said the NDP candidate was taken to the police station at Juaben where he gave his statement before being granted bail to re-appear on Monday morning. The sudden arrest of the parliamentary aspirant of NDP, founded by ex-First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, reportedly disrupted the colourful event. In a telephone interview with the paper, Osei Kwabena said he was detained at the police station for several hours before being granted bail after interrogation. The NDP candidate vehemently denied allegations that he moved round the constituency with pictures of Yamoah Ponkoh and Vida Addai. According to him, he is adequately prepared for the race for the Juaben seat. Osei Kwabena insisted that people intend to tarnish his hard won image and disrupt his campaign. Meanwhile, Andy Owusu, a member of the NDP Communications Team in the Ashanti region, has assured hundreds of NDP members in the region that they would storm the Juaben Police Station in their numbers on Monday to support Osei Kwabena.