Bawumia, Dampare “paying” delegates to vote against me in Bekwai Primaries

Retired Commissioner of Police (COP) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate hopeful for the Bekwai constituency in the Ashanti Region, George Alex Mensah, has alleged that the Vice President and Presidential candidate of the NPP Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has sent unknown persons to the Bekwai to pay delegates to vote against him in the upcoming parliamentary primaries on 27 January 2024.

According to COP Alex Mensah (Rtd), he and his assigns have video recordings of the person meeting with over 100 delegates at a location in the Bekwai constituency where each delegate who attended the meeting was given one thousand Ghana cedis to induce them to vote against him in the party’s primaries.

COP Alex Mensah (Rtd) made the allegations in an interview on Kessben TV/Radio’s “Amansan Ntie” show hosted by Akuoko Kwarteng (Honourable) on Friday, 12 January 2024.

In the interview, COP Alex Mensah (Rtd) further alleged that he also suspects that the Inspector General of Police, IGP George Akuffo-Dampare is also using certain persons in the Bekwai constituency to derail his political ambitions.

“The person who came to the Bekwai constituency told the delegates that he was sent by the Vice President to distribute monies to them to vote against. However, we discovered that the person came in a police vehicle to the constituency to share an amount of GHc 1,000.00 Ghana cedis to the delegates, COP Alex Mensah (Rtd) said.
“This is not a hearsay report. I witnessed the sharing process and I sent some young men to go and collect their share of the monies that had been distributed. Every delegate received one thousand Ghana cedis” the retired COP added.

COP Alex Mensah subsequently alleged that the IGP, George Akuffo-Dampare is the one behind the sharing of the money at the Alpha guest house in Bekwai to interfere with the outcome of the NPP Bekwai constituency parliamentary primaries.

After retiring from the Police service in 2023, Alex Mensah announced his intention to contest the NPP Bekwai constituency primaries and ultimately, the parliamentary elections in December 2024.

However, he faces firm competition from a young and enterprising lawyer in private practice and managing partner at Trent Amansie Chambers, Ralph Poku-Adusei who is largely projected to be leading in the polls in the Bekwai constituency.

In all, four candidates have been approved to contest the primaries in the Bekwai constituency. They are Ralph Poku-Adusei, Kingsley Opoku Agyemang, COP George Alex Mensah (Rtd), and Henry Opoku Ware.

By Wilberforce Asare