About 300 New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters in the Juaben Constituency of the Ashanti Region defied Covid-19 safety protocols to demonstrate against the disqualification of their preferred aspiring parliamentary candidate.
The angry supporters also protested against what they described as a party decision to allow the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Amma Pomaa Boateng to go unopposed.
The angry delegates, made up of mainly polling station executives, also slaughtered sheep and invoked curses on any member of the party hierarchy whose action will lead to the disqualification of Francis Owusu-Akyaw, a mining consultant.
ALSO READ:
- Boy in critical condition after inserting magnet toys into his private part
- Is s3x really good for your skin? [Read]
- Parliament freezes approval of EC’s CI after ranking member is accused of doctoring report
The charged supporters, wearing red armbands, recited incantations to invoke the powers of several deities, to deal with anyone, especially party executives scheming to protect the candidacy of the MP.
The curses were extended to anyone whose action will impede the parliamentary bid of the mining consultant, Mr Owusu-Akyaw.
Leader of the protesters, Ransford Obeng, cited an announcement by the National Vice Chairman, F.F. Anto on a local radio station confirming the sole candidature of the MP.
“Chairman F.F Anto was speaking on Kwame Adinkra’s show yesterday and said it point blankly that Francis Owusu-Akyaw has been disqualified from the race. So we have decided, and all the delegates in Juaben constituency we are not in support of that decision,” he said.
He said the move is illegal and they have tabled series of protests to press home their demands.
“This is not the situation that we like to do but where the situation is going, we are supposed to do this. So we urge the party executives to do what we want for us so that the party would be peaceful in Juaben constituency,” he appealed.
The Ejisu police arrived late as the demonstrators dispersed immediately after the rituals.
Meanwhile, the invocation of curses has angered the chief of Nobewam, Nana Yaw Kyere III.
Currently invocation of curses is banned in the Ashanti Kingdom.
Nana Kyere said he will summon the leadership of the Juaben NPP to appear before the Traditional Council.
“By Sunday, I have to summon them to my palace and inquire from them the reason why they will do such a thing without the knowledge of the chiefs,” he said.