Ningo Prampram MP, Samuel Nartey George appears to be the most vilified politician walking the annals of the country’s politics.
From 2015 to date, the affable Sam George has failed in his bid to make peace with the Church Elder and grey haired, E.T. Mensah.
After a violent and acrimonious campaign littered with insults; the 2015 parliamentary elections, between then incumbent MP ET Mensah and Sam George, which was tagged as a “father and son” failed to live up to its billing as then underdog and “small boy” Mr George staged what will go down in history as the biggest political upset in the country.
Certified results from the Electoral Commission showed Mr George polling 4,910 votes representing 63.4 per cent of valid votes cast whiles E.T. Mensah polled 2,831 votes representing 36.5 per cent of valid votes cast. This cast a significant blow which ended the Parliamentary and to an extent political career of Mr Mensah who was one of the longest serving MPs, having served in Parliament for some 20 years.
That election in Ningo-Prampram originally to take place on November, 21st, 2015 was postponed to the next day(Sunday) following reported acts of violence, accusations and counter accusations between the two aspirants and their followers. In that election, the process was heavily tilted in favour of the veteran E.T. Mensah by his close confidante and Greater Accra Regional NDC Chair, Joseph Kobina Ade Coker. Several machinations were put in place to frustrate the young man and prevent him from springing the upset. Among some of the frustrations included the deliberate omission of Mr George’s name in the voters register meant for the elections. Even on the rescheduled day of polls, voting started three hours late with Sam George being able to locate his name this time round. With exit polls pointing to a disgrace and thrashing, Mr E.T. Mensah with the backing of Ade Coker imported military men to wreak havoc and intimidate the peace loving NDC delegates at a community called Ahwiam. It only took the resilience of then Tema Regional Police Commander DCOP Beatrice Sanziri who stood her grounds and ordered the military to leave after tensions began rising between the delegates and the military men.
Nonetheless and despite the odds heavily against him, Sam George then a political novice, won with an emphatic victory polling more than double of the MP, ET Mensah’s vote. Wanting to exact revenge for his bosom friend and defeated aspirant, ET Mensah, the Greater Accra regional NDC chair, Ade Coker, took a unilateral decision to suspend Sam George, a duly elected Parliamentary candidate from the rank of the NDC. The National Executive Council of the NDC not in a mood to encourage any illegality and wanton abuse of powers overturned that decision giving Sam George the green light to contest. Consistently, Sam George was vilified and treated as a village outcast. Regional Executives were warned against attending the launch of Sam George as NDC’s Ningo Prampram parliamentary candidate for the 2016 election. Enemies not being God, the rays of hope shone on Sam George as he emerged victorious in the 2016 polls despite the consistent and double edged attacks by Ade Coker at the party’s Regional level and E.T. Mensah at the constituency level. Mr. E. T. Mensah then spearheaded alongside Michael Kwetey Tetteh, an agenda of skirt and blouse and openly supported the NPP parliamentary Candidate in the 2016 general elections, Mr. Sylvester Tetteh.
Fast forward, 2018/2019, another parliamentary election beckoned beginning from the Branches to the Constituency. Here again, Ade Coker who has for a long while being relishing an opportunity to revenge his friend, ET Mensah, again put in place mechanisms to frustrate George’s re-election bid. Constituency Chairman, Michael Kwetey Tetteh, who is widely seen as a boy of E.T. Mensah was brought in to settle an old score. Despite winning that election as Constituency Chairman, Michael Tetteh has been asked to activate the second phase of their scheming, by picking forms to contest as MP for the area.
Plans are far advanced to scheme the electoral process in their favour to enable the stooge of E.T. Mensah win the August 24th polls. But delegates are extremely confident in the ability of Sam George to take them to the Promised Land. Under just three years as MP for the area, Sam George has impacted positively on the lives of constituents by and large. From education to commerce to security and agriculture, his footprints are visible for all to see. Recently, he went to the assistance of constituents ahead of the annual Homowo celebrations. The initiative has been dubbed “MP’s livelihood support program.” The selfless Sam George has identified the need to show constituents how to fish, rather than providing them with fish daily. As a result, he has cancelled what was an annual ritual of partying during the Homowo festivities and is rather assisting constituents with the needed business start-ups. “…since 2017, when I became a member of parliament, normally the tradition I came to meet here from my predecessor, was that there was always going to be a party during the Homowo festivities and that’s our major festival. During that period there used to be a party were people come eat, drink and make merry. In the first year, I did that but I realized I needed to start what I called the MP’s Livelihood support program.”
Details of the true intentions and schemes of Michael Kwetey Tetteh, E. T. Mensah and Joseph Ade Kobina Coker for the good people of Ningo Prampram will be laid to bare in the coming days. The people of Ningo Prampram deserve to know who the candidates are, who are behind them as well as why they want to lead the good people of Ningo Prampram.
Having worked closely with former President Mahama, serving as Communications Consultant and Presidential Staffer at the seat of government, in the likely event of the former Presidnet Mahama winning the 2020 polls, Mr George is sure to be rewarded due to his close links and association with the first family.
Ningo Prampram surely deserves somebody who while serving as their voice in Parliament will also be their bright spot in the next NDC government.
Source: Kofi Ekow Anang
