A former Director of Elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has urged Ghanaians to disregard reports that some high-profile members of the party had sworn blood oaths with a sword.
In a statement issued yesterday, Thursday, January 18, 2024, Mr Ankrah said, “That publication is inaccurate, misleading and deliberately twisted to suit the agenda of our detractors.”
A video that has gone viral on social media shows, Mr Ankrah and other NDC officials swearing an oath using a sword. While swearing the oath, they promised to be loyal and defend the party at all times.
“I therefore urge the public to ignore the fake news.”
Mr Ankrah, explained that the said ceremony was arranged at his behest ahead of the 2020 elections when he was the Director of Elections of the NDC.
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“It is yet another example of how seriously I took my role and how committed I was to ensure that we did our work with the utmost integrity in the interest of our party and its members and supporters,” he added.
Mr Ankrah, said the video had nothing to do with the party’s national executives and officials in charge of managing the upcoming 2024 general elections.
“I therefore urge the public to ignore the fake news.”
“I also call on our members and supporters to rally behind our party officials and support our national officers in our quest to win the next elections and deliver the people of Ghana from the hardships and misgovernance of the Akufo-Addo/ Bawumia government,” he further stated.
Earlier the former Director of Elections for the NDC, clarified that the viral video in which he is seen swearing on his life and that of his first son to stay true to the party is not a new video.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, the former Sports Minister is seen swearing that may he die if he betrays the NDC for money in the upcoming election.
He further swears that if he sells out the NDC, his first-born child should also die.
“If I compromise and sell my party out for money for this coming election, may I die and my firstborn also die in my place. So, help me God, Amen,” Elvis Afriyie Ankrah said in the viral video.
Speaking to Modernghana news this evening, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah has clarified that the video was made in 2020 prior to the elections that saw former President John Dramani Mahama defeated.
“This was 2020 when I was a director of elections and we were going to do the training of trainers…. We had the intel that some people had been compromised and there would be an attempt to compromise the trainers.
“We looked at a number of things and this was one of the methods we decided to use to abort such attempts,” he explained.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah told the news portal that “So, we said Christians must swear by the sword. I as a leader had to show leadership by example and I took the oath. I did it without hesitation because there was no way even a trillion dollars would compromise me. Muslims and Traditionalists also went through the same processes. Some people refused to go through the process so I believe what we did worked.”
Mr Afriyie said the process helped the party to work with committed people who put in their all for the NDC to secure 137 seats in Parliament.
