A heated confrontation unfolded at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) primaries in Bantama constituency as Francis Asenso-Boakye, the incumbent Member of Parliament, engaged in a tense exchange with his rival, Ralph Agyapong, a lawyer and brother of prominent politician Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.
The situation escalated when Asenso-Boakye decided to sing at the voting centre, an act deemed unprofessional by Ralph Agyapong. Prompt intervention by the police and Electoral Commission officers was necessary to prevent the situation from worsening.
In an interview, Asenso-Boakye defended his singing, stating, “The guy was upset that I was singing, and he said that I don't respect myself, that was why I was singing.”
Responding to allegations of camping delegates, Asenso-Boakye clarified, “No, there is no iota of truth. Nobody can camp delegates. These delegates are not true. Some are as old as my grandfather. So how can you camp your grandfather, how can you camp your father? Nobody has camped anybody. There was a morning devotion, and some people decided to join me.”
On the other hand, Agyapong criticized his opponent's conduct, saying, “Can you sing in an election centre? It is very unprofessional, so Ghanaians should look at the kind of minister that we have. This is a Minister of State, Works and Housing. Very unprofessional. This gentleman, if it had been any other country, do you think he would qualify to be a minister of state? We should be ashamed of ourselves.”
The police instructed both candidates to calm their tempers during a discussion about the election process.
