Rawlings won’t influence Klottey-Korle polls – Addison

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirant for the Klottey-Korle Constituency, Philip Addison, has downplayed suggestions that former President Jerry John Rawlings would have an influence on the outcome of the elections in the area, because his daughter is currently the parliamentary nominee elected by the NDC  to run on their ticket. He argued that the influence of the former President has waned over the years, and hence cannot influence his daughter’s electoral fortunes.
Should Philip Addison win the NPP’s Klottey-Korle primary next week, he will come up against the National Democratic Congress’ Dr. Zanetor Rawlings for the seat in the November polls, only if she manages to clear the lawsuit challenging her credibility.
Results of the previous primary
In the previous primary, Philip Addison, who was lead counsel for the NPP’s 2012 election petition, polled a meager 22 votes, while Nii Nortey, polled 393 votes, with Nii Adjei Tawiah securing 19 votes.
The two defeated candidates were unhappy with the outcome and called the election a sham. They had sought to convince the party to address their concerns internally, but that failed, forcing them to go to court.
During the court proceedings, the party tried to get them to settle out of court, but that also failed.
Eventually, the ruling by the court although unclear, appears to have suggested a re-run of the polls. A statement signed by NPP’s acting General Secretary, John Boadu, said the Klottey Korle primary is now scheduled for Saturday February 27, 2016. Addison remains confident Speaking to Citi News, Philip Addison said he is more popular in the constituency than Dr. Zanetor Rawlings. He also rubbished suggestion that Zanetor’s popularity would see her triumph in the general election. “First of all, I think it is a mistake to talk about her popularity. I don’t think she is popular. I don’t think anybody knows her. The person they know is her father.” According to him, Zanetor is riding on her father, former President Jerry Rawlings’ reputation but even that isn’t enough to guarantee her and the NDC victory in the polls. “Her father was there and we won that seat on two occasions. After so many years in power, if they couldn’t win the seats during those periods, now that he is out of power, what extraordinary thing can he provide to let them win?”
 
Source – Citifm