One person sustained injuries on Saturday during the parliamentary
primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Tema East after a
scuffle erupted during the counting of ballots.
Mr Edga Adjetey Badu, Tema Community One, Site 19 branch Chairman,
NDC, sustained injuries on his face and chest as his oozing blood soaked
his white shirt and collected on the floor as a result.
Mr Badu, who was also the polling agent for Nii Tetteh Kraku Bediako,
the contender to Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, immediate past Tema
Metropolitan Chief Executive, allegedly created confusion at the
National Fisheries Association of Ghana (NAFAG) hall where the election
was held.
He received severe beatings from some delegates after he was
apprehended by the police for tearing up some of the ballot papers
during counting after he realized that his candidate was losing.
The election which hitherto was peaceful saw delegates from Community One and Tema Newtown casting into different ballot boxes.
Community One was deemed as a stronghold of Mr Bediako and Newtown, his waterloo.
Therefore when it became obvious that his contender Mr Odamtten had made
a headstart in Community One during counting, Mr Badu allegedly
quickly grabbed the sorted ballot papers of Tema Newton and started
tearing them up.
He was subsequently arrested and counting continued after which Mr
Odamtten was declared the NDC parliamentary candidate elect for Tema
East after polling 891 out of the 1,161 votes cast while Mr Bediako had
266 votes.
Meanwhile, Mr Bediako who was not a delegate earlier on went to the
centre to vote but was not allowed as his name was not in the register.
Mr Odamtten in a victory message, commended the police for ensuring peace and order at the centre.
He thanked executives and the delegates for the confidence reposed in him and promised not to disappoint them.
He said the party was on a mission to serve the people of Tema adding
that he would start his work by empowering the branches and wards of the
party in the constituency.
