The 2020 Parliamentary election results which saw the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) losing majority of their seats to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), came to many as a big surprise.
However, majority of Ghanaians are of the view that most of these NPP MPs lost the elections due to their poor relationship with their constituents and their abysmal performance whilst they were in office.
One of such MPs is the Member of Parliament for Ayensuano Samuel Ayeh-Paye, whose fall was obvious ahead of the elections.
It could be recalled that Samuel Ayeh-Paye had faced stiff apprehension from majority of his constituents who raised serious questions and reservations about his attitude in the constituency.
He came at the center of several controversies within the area when he allegedly sponsored illegal Demonstration against KOANS Estate Limited and other people who want to bring development to the area.
Samuel Ayeh-Paye allegedly organized some youth of Kyekyewere in the Eastern Region to stage a demonstration against KOANS Estates accusing the Estates Developer of taking over their farm lands for housing projects.
However, the Chief Executive Officer of KOANS Estates and Building Solutions, Prof. Kofi Anokye at the time, stated clearly that Samuel Ayeh-Paye will lose the elections considering the agitation of the constituents against his conduct.
According to him, the youth were unhappy about the way and manner Samuel Ayeh-Paye was using some few farmers to foment trouble in Kyekyewere hence, the youth braced up and voted him out in the December elections.
As if it was a Prophesy come true, Samuel Ayeh-Paye went to the polls and lost the seat to the opposition NDC.
Speaking to Prof. Kofi Anokye on the outcome of the election, he averred that the ground was good for Samuel Ayeh-Paye until he illegally sponsored the demonstration at Kyekyewere.
Professor Anokye hinted that it is about time politicians especially MPs learn from the outcome of the 2020 elections, advising them to join hands with businessmen in their constituencies for the development of their various areas.
The outcome of the 2020 elections, he said serves as a wake-up call for politicians to stop taking Ghanaians for granted and that he considers the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian and that is why he is ready to expose all fake politicians in the country.
According to the business mogul, “In a democratic dispensation, the businessman is as important as a politician; but mostly the people would chose the businessman over the politician because they (businessmen) have direct access of employment for them.”
He said, the people are very much assured of their employment and hence would chose a businessman over the politicians so therefore the politicians must be mindful of how they treat businessmen.
He said: “I sense Ayeh-Paye won during the primaries but he failed to address his issues with the constituents and that led to his defeat in the main election.”
Professor Anokye maintained that the youth who were lured into that illegal demonstration later make a turn-around and declared their intention to vote against Ayeh-Paye after realizing that their action was against the law of the land and that they were just used by the MP to serve his parochial interest.
At the end of the December 7 General Elections in Ayensuano, Addi Safori Teddy of the NDC secured 19211 (47.31) whilst Samuel Ayeh-Paye of the ruling NPP managed to have 18970 (46.71).
However, Professor Anokye said this was not surprising since every indication ahead of the election proved that Ayeh-Paye will cause the defeat of the NPP in the constituency.
“Because apart from the illegal demonstration he ordered against the business community, he also performed poorly as MP. All these resulted in his defeat,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, when the journalists broke the news about the prophesy of AyehPaye’s impending doom at the elections, he threatened court action against the journalists instead of engaging them to see his shortfalls and be able to make those corrections before going to the polls.
Indeed, Samuel Ayeh-Paye could have saved his seat if he took the pain to contact the journalists and ask questions of why they made such pronouncements and how possible he can save situations.
This attitude of arrogance on the part of politicians however caused their heavy loss during the December 7 election.
-Prosper AGBENYEGA/Alex Boye
