Kwamena Duncan, a former Central Regional Minister, has strongly refuted claims made by Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), accusing the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of orchestrating a scheme to rig the upcoming general elections.
At a press conference held in Accra on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, Sammy Gyamfi alleged that the NPP was planning to stuff ballot boxes in the Ashanti Region to favor its presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. Gyamfi claimed that Brigadier-General Michael Opoku, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, was at the center of this alleged scheme.
“Per our credible intel, Brigadier-General Opoku’s residence in Kumasi is currently the storage facility for weapons, illegally-printed ballot papers, military apparel, and other election materials, which the NPP intends to use to execute this dastardly and subversive agenda,” Gyamfi stated.
The NDC called on security authorities and appealed to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, to intervene in what they described as a matter of national importance. “We are going to ensure that the King of the Ashanti people, who is very much interested in the peace of our nation…will officially draw his attention to these developments,” Gyamfi added.
Responding to these allegations, Kwamena Duncan, speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show, dismissed the claims as baseless. He asserted that Ghana’s electoral structure makes such alleged rigging schemes impossible.
“There is no iota of truth in it. It is not possible under our electoral system,” Duncan exclaimed. He argued that security agencies routinely implement precautionary measures during election periods, particularly in flashpoints, and that this was standard procedure.
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Duncan further accused the NDC of using these allegations as a strategy to tarnish the reputation of the Ashanti people, and Brigadier-General Opoku in particular. “This is an Asante thing against Asante and, by extension, against Akan,” he claimed. “The NDC has chosen to single this man out, who is an Asante, take him to the cleaners, and ruin his reputation.”
Duncan dismissed the NDC’s claims as a ploy to sow discord and undermine public confidence in the electoral process, urging Ghanaians to treat them with the contempt they deserve.
