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Empty seats galore at DFP congress
Accra, April 5, Ghanadot/GNA – Contrary to the usual
practice where delegates at political party congresses got
glued to their seats during voting and vote counting to
ensure that their interests were secured, delegates at the
Democratic Freedom Party’s first National Delegates Congress
virtually deserted the congress during voting and vote
counting on Saturday.
During voting, delegates stood in long queues and waited for
their turn to vote, after which they walked out of the
congress hall leaving the national executives on the podium,
the Electoral Commission officials, a handful of police
personnel and journalists.
The Ghana News Agency observed that out of the over 1,000
seats in the congress hall, only the first three rows were
virtually occupied and the rest numbering about 900 were
completely empty during vote counting, which was unusual.
The GNA also observed that even during voting and just
before the results were declared, some delegates boarded
their buses and left the congress grounds, possibly because
they came from far and had to return home in the night.
Asked why they left congress before the voting was over for
the results to be declared, a delegate told GNA that “our
place is far and have to leave before night fall.”
Some observers at the congress told GNA that the attitude of
delegates towards voting and vote counting was evidence of
the lack of passion in the party to pursue the cause of
consolidating democracy, which they professed.
“They should have demonstrated to observers that they were
committed to jealously guarding their own internal democracy
so that people in the country could have faith in their
professed commitment to providing the kind of leadership
they promised,” an observer said.
Meanwhile, just when vote counting was over, few delegates
went to rejoice with the winner and newly elected flag
bearer of DFP, Mr Emmanuel Ansah-Antwi, carried him shoulder
high and smeared him with powder amidst singing and dancing.
During the vote counting, ‘spinners’ invited to provide
music and public address system also started packing their
equipment before congress ended.
They were stopped by some observers who insisted that it was
not professional for them to leave before the end of
congress.
Before the voting, Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Issaka, a DFP flag
bearer aspirant who lost with 201 votes representing 18.8
per cent of the votes cast, blamed Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, Life
Patron of the Party for influencing his defeat.
After voting and vote counting, he told journalists that “I
think the election was free and fair but the influence of Dr
Asamoah was at play against me.”
“The Life Patron told delegates that I was not his favourite
aspirant and his influence worked against me,” he added.
Alhaji Issaka said the election result was evidence of the
power and influence Dr Asamoah had in the Party, which was
not ideal for its democracy and development.
He said it was important to ensure that power was vested
with the rank and file and not the top executive and pledged
to ensure power returned to the rank and file.
However, Alhaji Issaka said despite the defeat he still
respected Dr Asamoah and Mr Emmanuel Ansah-Antwi adding
“there is no bad blood between me and anybody on earth and
it shall remain so”.
Mr Ansah-Antwi assured delegates that financing the Party’s
campaign toward election 2008 would not be a problem and it
would contest all the 230 Parliamentary seats this year.
He hugged Alhaji Issaka to show his commitment to democracy
and Party unity, but denied knowledge of any attempt by Dr
Asamoah to influence delegates in his favour.
GNA
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