Ashanti Council of State Election: Isham Alhassan Offered Me GHS 5K to Vote for Yaw Obimpeh – NPP’s Ghana Beye Yie
Allegations of Vote-Buying, Violence, and Disruption Mar the Ashanti Council of State Election Process
- NPP's Ghana Beye Yie claims NDC's Isham Alhassan offered him GHS 5,000 to vote for Yaw Obimpeh
- Thugs allegedly disrupted the process by destroying ballot materials, overturning tables, and assaulting journalists
- Isham denies involvement
An Assembly Member and member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Riches Oscar, popularly known as Ghana Beye Yie, has alleged that Isham Alhassan, the Ashanti Regional NDC Organiser, offered him GHS 5,000 to vote for his candidate, Yaw Obimpeh, during the Council of State election in the Ashanti Region.
Speaking on the Lawson TV/Radio Ghana Se Sen Morning Show with Kwame Tanko, Ghana Beye Yie disclosed that he declined the offer, emphasizing that he cannot be influenced by money.
Election Chaos and Violence
The election in the Ashanti Region took a violent turn when a group of unidentified thugs stormed the voting center, disrupting the sorting and counting process. The attackers overturned tables, destroyed ballot boxes, scattered voting materials, and assaulted journalists, prompting officials to suspend the process.
According to Ghana Beye Yie, Isham Alhassan allegedly orchestrated the chaos after realizing that his candidate, Yaw Obimpeh, was losing the election.
Ghana Beye Yie’s Account
“Isham Alhassan said clearly that he would bring thugs to disrupt the process,” Ghana Beye Yie stated during the interview.
He added that businessmen, chiefs, and other prominent people were forced to park their cars outside the venue as Isham Alhassan allegedly gave signals suggesting threats of violence.
“He [Isham] signaled his thugs to disrupt the process after realizing his candidate had lost. I had to run to alert the Deputy Ashanti Regional EC Director to flee, or else she would have been killed. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t be alive today,” he recounted.
He revealed that the Deputy Ashanti Regional EC Director attempted to flee with the ballot papers to safeguard them, but the thugs pursued her. “She is a woman; otherwise, they would have killed her,” he stated.
Death Threats and Assault
Ghana Beye Yie also alleged that the Asokwa Constituency NDC Organizer threatened that no one would be allowed to leave the Regional Coordinating Council, where the election was held, and that “everyone would be killed.”
Recounting his personal ordeal, Ghana Beye Yie said he was assaulted during the chaos. He credited NDC member Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, also known as Zuba, for saving him from being killed.
Isham Alhassan Denies Involvement
In his response on the same show, Isham Alhassan denied the allegations, insisting that his “hands are clean” and that he did not instruct any thugs to cause the disruption.
