Former Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has cautioned delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) against supporting political candidates who demean or verbally abuse women, warning that such conduct could have serious electoral consequences for the party.
Her comments were directed at NPP flagbearer hopeful Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, whom she accused of repeatedly launching public verbal attacks against women, including herself.
“If you are going to elect a candidate who opens his mouth to rain insults on women, how would women vote?” Ms Adwoa Safo questioned.
The former MP recounted her personal experiences, alleging that she had been subjected to sustained verbal abuse by Mr Agyapong in the public space.
“Didn’t you hear him raining insults on me in this country? Didn’t you hear Honourable Kennedy Agyapong raining insults on me?” she asked. “He said I am disrespectful, that I spent government funds, and that former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo pampered me. He called me useless and said my father could not control me.”
Ms Adwoa Safo warned that failure by party delegates to consider such behaviour could come at a political cost, especially in future elections.
According to her, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) would readily exploit Mr Agyapong’s past remarks if he were elected as the party’s flagbearer.
“So, if you do not listen and continue to vote carelessly, the NDC is waiting for you to elect him so they can refer him to his past record of insults, including those directed at me — a woman with whom he has two children,” she said. “Imagine what he would do to you.”
She urged delegates to be mindful of the party’s image and the expectations of women voters as the NPP prepares for its next electoral contest.
