The first runner-up in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries held on May 13 in the Ketu North constituency, John Adanu Zewu, has announced his intention to comply with the directive of the National Executive Committee, which recognizes Edem Agbana as the elected parliamentary candidate for the constituency.

While Mr. Zewu Adanu believes that the directive may set a precedent that could have future repercussions for the party, he has chosen to abide by it.

On May 13, Mr. John Adanu Zewu narrowly lost the NDC primaries in the Ketu North constituency to Edem Agbana by a single vote.

However, upon a second recount, it was discovered that three ballots had not been stamped. Two of these unstamped ballots were cast in favour of Edem Agbana, while one was cast in favour of John Zewu, resulting in a tie.

This development led to calls for a run-off election between the two leading candidates in the constituency.

However, the National Executive Council of the party decided otherwise.

At a press conference, Fifi Kwetey, General Secretary of the NDC, explained that the unstamped ballots were part of the original ballot booklet provided by the party, and there was no over-voting on the day of the election.

He thus declared Mr. Agbana as the rightful winner of the internal election.

John Adanu Zewu in a press statement on Wednesday questioned the rationale behind the decision by the National Executive Committee.

“We can vote using unstamped ballots and hope that there is no over-voting to make elections credible? If these ballots were removed during sorting, will we be here? Or the fact that they were taken out after the recount and not even after the EC’s declaration makes them valid?”

“Can our members accept this if it occurs to us in the national elections? This really worries me. These concerns notwithstanding, I remain positive about the course of the party for victory in 2024. My prayer is that this does not come to haunt us in the future and I pray that one day this precedent will be corrected no matter how long it takes before that future comes. I will make myself available to contribute to such an effort,” he said.

Mr Zewu however indicated his decision to abide by the decision of the National executive committee.

“To my team and supporters, I understand your disappointment and the temptation to express this in ways that may affect the unity of the party. In our individual families, we all may have faced some form of disappointment or injustice. But we remain committed to the growth of the family. Let us import that same commitment into the party at this crucial time,” John Adanu Zewu stated.