NDC primaries: We never schemed against Muntaka – NDC

National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership in the Ashanti Region has refuted allegations of plotting the removal of their Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak.

The former Minority Chief Whip had made claims that influential figures within the party had conspired to have him removed from the Asawase constituency, specifically during the party’s presidential and parliamentary primaries.

Speaking with reporters, Captain (Rtd) John Kwame Jabari, the 1st Vice Chairman of NDC in the Ashanti Region, denied these claims by the Asawase legislator and insisted that the decision of whether a candidate should be elected or not lay solely in the hands of the delegates.

He added that it’s not in the place of the party to prevent candidates who have passed through the right processes from contesting just to favour the other.

“We thought Asawase primary was going to be close but the golden boy of Asawase, Muntaka came out victorious once again. We couldn’t have sided with any of them, we wanted the elections to be free and fair and that is exactly what happened. The former national chairman of the party had a challenger, our flagbearer John Dramani Mahama was also contested.

“So if someone wants to contest an MP what can we do about it? Anyone who wanted to contest and passed the rules and regulations was allowed and that was something for the delegates to decide. I can’t say that as a region, we masterminded and wanted him to lose, that is not possible, we won’t allow that. As a region, there was no intention of that,” the NDC’s Ashanti Regional 1st Vice Chairman clarified.

Speaking to journalists days after the party’s primaries, Mohammed Muntaka said the recent change in the Minority Leadership in Parliament was part of the grand agenda.

“I can tell you, it was part of the strategy to get me out. No political person won’t say that wasn’t part of the strategy to get me out. Avedzi wasn’t contesting again, Haruna didn’t have any contenders, and I was the only one who had a contender, so to have done that at that time was part of the strategy to get me out.

“But like I keep saying, God is not their village Chief, God doesn’t hate people because you hate them.”

Muntaka faced a stiff contest from Masawudu Mubarick for the Asawase constituency parliamentary race.

He, however, emerged victorious with 1,063 of the total valid votes cast while his main contender, Masawudu Mubarick trailed with 735 votes.