The parliamentary primary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Klottey Korle Constituency has taken a new dimension with the introduction of ethnicity into the campaigning as aspirants try to win the hearts and minds of delegates.
Five aspirants,made up of incumbent Nii Armah Ashietey, the only female aspirant Dr Ezanetor Agyeman Rawlings; Leeford Kpakpo Quarshie, Manager of the La Villa Hotel at Osu; Nii John Coleman, a businessman; and Sammy Kwaku, who is in the Gas industry, are criss-crossing the length and breadth of the constituency, leaving no stone unturned to win the primary to represent the NDC as its parliamentary candidate.
While Mr Ashitey, a former Greater Accra Regional Minister, is bent on retaining his seat, Dr Rawlings has also intensified her campaign to make history by unseating this seasoned politician.
As a result, there is a lot of scheming by supporters of both Mr Ashietey and Dr Rawlings as to who is speaking to issues and is attracting development to the constituency.
A visitor to some parts of the constituency senses intense political activity between the two frontrunners as their posters could be found around street corners, while the other three contestants try to make themselves relevant by running a low but issues-based campaigns.
Campaigns
The campaigns however, have not been devoid of acrimony, insults and character assassination.
Mr Ashietey, an indigene of the area, has his slogan “choice of the people,’’ and supporters under attack for personalising the campaign and playing the ethnicity card.
According to a press statement by a group calling itself Grassroots Supporters Front (GSF), untenable tactics have been drawn into the NDC politics in the Klottey Korle Constituency.
Leading member
Mr Dela Coffie, a leading member of the front, who read the statement at a press conference, said Dr Rawlings was being targeted by this negative political approach.
He said there had been an infusion of ethnic and tribal political intrigues and fabrications to undermine Dr Rawlings’s candidature.
Mr Coffie said there was a danger in this type of tribal political campaign that could incite tribal tension in any political party and the country, as it had the potential to create violent divisions.
To set the records straight, he said “Dr Ezanetor Rawlings is a full card-bearing member of the NDC who was born and raised at Ridge and Osu.”
Hearts and minds
Mr Coffie said she had assured the constituents that she would not be part of politics fuelled by tribalism and character assassination.
That was because the NDC wass alien to ethnocentrism and a broad-based political party that had no boundaries on tribal grounds.
Voting trend
Five political parties and two independent parliamentary candidates contested the Klottey Korle parliamentary seat during the 2012 general election. The NDC candidate won the seat with 36,122 votes representing 48.5 per cent of the votes. Samuel Adjei Tawiah of New Patriotic Party (NPP) came second with 34,847 Leeford Kpapko Quarshe (independent) had 1,354; Chris Bonaparte of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) had 1,151; Kabu Okai -Davies of the Convention People’s Party (CPP ) captured 408 votes; Godwin Opare-Addo, Independent,327 votes and Charles Nii Otu Okonor of National Democratic Party (NDP) got 198 votes.
The seat is occupied by Nii Armah Ashietey, who is seeking to represent the NDC as its parliamentary candidate for the 2016 polls, notwithstanding a stiff competition from other party members.
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