The call on opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo to apologise for his “Simpa Panyin” remarks he made in reference to President John Dramani Mahama betrays the governing National Democratic Congress’ frustration ahead of the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections, Theophilus Kojo Halm, the Effutu constituency chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has said.
The NPP flag bearer, addressing party supporters recently at Hwidiem in the Asutifi South constituency of the Brong Ahafo Region as part of his regional campaign, described the president as a “Simpa Panyin” for failing to reprimand Sports and Local Government Minister Nii Lantey Vanderpuye for inciting NDC supporters to attack NPP members.
The three-time presidential aspirant’s comments did not go down well with some chiefs of the coastal town of Winneba – traditionally known as Simpa – who, on Tuesday 22 November, in an address to the media led by Effutu Tufuhene Neenyi Otubua Siripi II, described Mr Akufo-Addo’s comment as unfortunate and condemnable, and asked that he retract it.
But responding to the traditional ruler’s demands in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom, on Accra100.5FM on Wednesday November 23, Mr Halm said: “It is sad that some NDC members will sit somewhere and plan with the Tufuhene to say the kind of things he is saying. It is unfortunate. Is this the first time someone is making such a comment. Just recently we used to have three wise men in the NDC- Alban Gbabin, together with two others who were livid that they have been made Simpapanyin, at that time the Tufuhene and the NDC didn’t see or hear about it. Today someone has made a similar comment and they are talking about it and demanding an apology.”
“This shows the NDC is stranded and frustrated to the extent that it doesn’t know what to do. Their parliamentary candidate in Effutu here, with just a few days to the elections, has not made any statement to the people in the constituency because he cannot speak the local dialect, he can’t speak any Ghanaian language, and that has become an albatross around the neck of the NDC.
“The so-called meeting the chiefs organised, how many chiefs attended that meeting? It is only NDC people they called. The MCE paid them to organise such a meeting to smear Nana Addo because the NDC is struggling. It is only the Tufuhene who did that because he has been influenced by the NDC. He is a strong NDC person here in Effutu.
“I want to use your medium to tell the NDC that if they have nothing doing, they should stop this failed attempt to smear Nana Addo and teach their candidate the local dialect so that he would be able to speak with the people and know their problems. This attempt to smear Nana Addo will not help them in any way.”
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