Kumawu Election: Former MCE Accuses NPP of Sharing IMF Money for Votes

Hon. Nuru Hamidan, the former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Asokore Mampong, has made allegations against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, claiming that they distributed funds received from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to voters in Kumawu. 

Mr Hamidan suggests that the money was used as an enticement to influence the voting decisions of residents.

He expressed his concerns, stating, “Residents are waiting to be paid before they go and vote. The NDC does not intend to buy votes; we want genuine votes.”

During an interview with George Agyei on Nkwantannanso, the former MCE shed light on irregularities observed during the by-election, particularly the premature signing of pink sheets.

He recounted the events, saying, “We all know that after elections, we sort, count, declare results, and then call the agents to sign the pink sheets to affirm the acceptance of the results. But this morning, they called the agents to affirm results when barely ten people had voted.”

Questioning this unusual practice, he shared his concerns with the presiding officer, who insisted it was the correct procedure. 

In response, he contacted the Regional Director, who promptly provided new pink sheets to address the issue.

At another polling station, agents resisted signing any pink sheets, leading to heightened tension. 

Mr Hamidan explained, “When I got to the second polling station, I told them that it was against the Electoral Commission(EC) rules to sign pink sheets before the declaration of results, though another EC official from Accra was still insisting that the agents should sign.”

He further added, “The issue was later resolved, and they didn’t insist that the agents sign again.”

Ernest Yaw Anim, the candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been declared the winner of the Kumawu by-election by the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana.

Mr. Yaw Anim secured a total of 15,264 votes, surpassing his closest rival, Kwesi Amankwah of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as well as two independent candidates.

Kwesi Amankwah of the NDC garnered 3,723 votes, while one of the independent candidates named Kwaku Duah received 2,478 votes. The other Kwaku Duah candidate obtained only 62 votes.