Govt Did Not Sponsor Any Parliamentary Aspirant - NDC

The leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has denied reports that the Presidency supported some candidates in the just ended parliamentary primaries in orphan constituencies in the southern part of the country. After the voting process the likes of Food and Agriculture Minister, Kwesi Ahwoi, former Information Minister, Zita Okaikoi and Public Interest Lawyer and former minister Sam Pee Yalley tasted bitter defeats. Queenstar Pokuah Sawyer polled 146 votes to beat Mr. Ahwoi who is reported to be nursing presidential ambitions and is reported by the Monday edition of the Daily Guide newspaper to have been fielded and heavily sponsored by the Presidency. However, speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, the Greater Accra regional Chairman of the NDC, Mr Ade Coker strongly denied the allegation stating that the Presidency does not have an interest in any of the candidates who contested in the parliamentary primaries. �There is nobody here who has the backing of the presidency. This people came from the party and from their own free will, spent their own funds and resources to campaign. These are analysis that one would have to gloss over,� he said. Mr. Coker also added that the NDC has issued a stern warning to Okaikoi and Sophia Akuako to desist from granting radio interviews and allow the party to find an amicable solution to their grievances after both women were reported to have engaged each other in a war of words on a radio station Monday morning. Okaikoi lost the Dome-Kwabenya parliamentary primary to Akuako, who polled 100 votes as against 87 by the former Information Minister. Reports indicate that Mrs. Akuako has threatened to go to court over the conduct of the Dome Kwabenya primary. But Mr. Coker said he had personally called one of the women to stop using the media to air their grievances since the primaries were transparent and successful. He added that he is happy with the outcome of the voting process and hailed all those who played key roles to ensure that the NDC remains formidable.