NPP Primaries: Daylight Mafia And How A Court Bailiff Was Kidnapped In Subin

Interesting, but startling reports from the Subin Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) indicate that some executives of the party reportedly abducted a Kumasi High Court bailiff after the officer had served an injunction on the Electoral Commission, preventing them to supervise last Saturday’s primary.

Our checks revealed that some constituency officers of the ruling party upon hearing news of the injunction swiftly besieged the Kumasi High Court in a clear attempt to covertly block the injunction to enable them execute their rigging agenda.

But, the party executives after their unsuccessful attempt allegedly proceeded to lock up the court officer at a private facility for inexplicable reasons.

Sources at the High Court familiar with the matter say the bailiff has recounted the horrible ordeal to his superiors, who have lodged a formal complaint to the police for full scale investigations into the alleged kidnapping.

“Our colleague was locked up at a private facility in Subin and the guys who committed this despicable act are suspected to be some party members in the constituency, so an official complainant has been lodged at the police station. He was lockup for close to 8 hours before he was released,” our source said in a telephone interview.

Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Chairman Wontumi, on Saturday flagrantly disregarded a court injunction and made his protégé, one Salifu Ahmed, the Returning Officer in an election which was abandoned by the Electoral Commission (EC) and main contender Joseph Boakye Danquah.

Chairman Wontumi and his associates set up fake polling stations in Saturday’s so-called election, ballot stuffing and getting people to cast multiple votes in favour of the incumbent MP, Eugene Boakye Antwi.

According to reports, not even the intervention of the Ashanti Regional National Security Coordinator, Mr Opare Addo could prevent Wontumi and his thugs from going ahead with the election.

It is reported that Mr Opare upon seeing a copy of the injunction, sought to question why the election was being held.

Reports say Wontumi rudely objected to Mr Opare Addo’s directive to stop the election from going ahead after engaging him on the phone.

Prior to the illegitimate elections, the names of more than 200 delegates were illegally removed from the album, allowing outsiders to partake in the election widely rejected by political watchers.

Campaigning was marred by acrimony and intimidation as supporters of JB Danquah have constantly been targeted by the constituency executives, who have sworn to ensure the MP, Eugene Boakye Antwi is retained by hook or crook.

Speaking to the media after the declaration of the results, JB Danquah said "the electoral process could not be said to have adequately complied with the standards for elections. It is a bogus election."

He further called on his supporters and the party’s hierarchy not to recognize the results of the election, and demanded ‘serious punishment’ for those who took part in the fraudulent election.

"Intimidation has been the hallmark of the elections at Subin from the onset. It is also pretty clear that there were significant efforts to disenfranchise people in the run-up to the election and on the day itself," JB Danquah intimated.

On Friday, 50 delegates including Isaac Nimako, Richard Owusu Nti and Yaw Boafo secured an injunction restraining the party’s election committee and the Electoral Commission from holding the primaries.

The ex-parte injunction, which was granted by a Kumasi High Court was effective from Friday to Monday, 22nd June 2020, according to reports.

“It is hereby ordered that the respondent and all persons claiming through the respondent (EC) refrain from holding the election scheduled to take place on Saturday, 20th June 2020,” the court ruled on Friday.

However, the aggrieved delegates who took the matter to the law court are said to have cited Chairman Wontumi and the party’s hierarchy for contempt.