Envelope found in ballot box nearly marred NPP primary

Confusion erupted at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) primary at Kwesimintsim Constituency of the Western Region when a brown envelope was dropped into the ballot box without being noticed by agents of both contenders.

Connect FM’s Animounyam Okyere and Paa Kojo Peters who monitored events at the primary reported that tempers went high when the brown envelope caught the attention of agents.

Security detail at the venue who were called to intervene had a tough time calming people down. The NPP primary at the Kwesimintsim Constituency became necessary after a High Court in Accra annulled the disqualification of Joe Mensah by the party’s vetting committee.

The election was finally held on Tuesday. During the process, someone who is not a delegate was seen putting a brown envelope into the ballot box, which angered the agents when their attention was drawn to it.

But the Kwesimintsim District Director of Electoral Commission (EC), Kobina Asante explained that the brown envelope contained a ballot paper of one of the delegates.

He added that it belonged to an elderly delegate who was sick and could not walk to the ballot box.

He said after casting her vote, the ballot paper was put into the brown envelope for someone to drop it into the ballot box.

Meanwhile, the primary ended successfully with Joe Mensah obtaining 187 votes to beat the incumbent Joe Baidoo-Ansah who had 122.