For years, Joseph Kofi Nyarko-Damptey fought his battles under different banners, first as a hopeful within the New Patriotic Party, then as a lone wolf on the independent trail. Each time, the Assin South Constituency watched him rise, contest, and fall short.
But in a dramatic turn that no one saw coming, Nyarko-Damptey has closed one chapter of his political life and flung open another, and he didn’t come alone.
In a ceremony held at the NDC Constituency Office at Assin Ngresi, the former parliamentary aspirant officially crossed the aisle to the National Democratic Congress, bringing with him a staggering army of over 15,000 supporters. It was not merely a defection; it was a statement.
Nyarko-Damptey’s political journey reads like a story of stubborn resilience. Back in 2016, he threw his hat into the ring during the NPP’s parliamentary primary, hoping to clinch the ticket for Assin South. The incumbent Member of Parliament, John Ntim Fordjour, proved to be an immovable wall. Undeterred, Nyarko-Damptey returned in 2020, this time as an independent candidate, only to be turned back again by the same opponent. He tried once more in 2024, and once more, the result was the same. Three attempts. Three defeats. Yet his supporters never wavered.
It was that unwavering loyalty that ultimately wrote the next chapter of this story.
At the ceremony, Central Regional Vice Chairman of the NDC, Shaibu Bukari, formally handed Nyarko-Damptey his NDC membership card, a symbolic gesture that sealed his official entry into the party. Cameras clicked, hands were shaken, and a new political alliance was born.
Speaking to the media after the event, Nyarko-Damptey was candid about what drove his decision. He pointed to the NDC’s development agenda and cited what he described as the tangible achievements of President John Dramani Mahama’s administration within its first year in office. For him, this was not a leap in the dark; it was a calculated step toward a party he believes is delivering for the people.
He urged his supporters to stand firmly behind him in this new home, calling on them to embrace the NDC’s core values of discipline, unity, and commitment.
His supporters, many of them former NPP faithful, echoed a similar sentiment, one tinged with a sense of betrayal. Several of them said they felt their loyalty had been taken for granted by the NPP, and that their allegiance had always been to the man, not just the party. Where Nyarko-Damptey goes, they go.
The NDC wasted no time rolling out the welcome mat. Deputy Central Regional Secretary Eric Offei, speaking on behalf of the party, hailed the mass defection as a powerful testament to the NDC’s growing appeal across the region. He assured the new members that they would be treated as equals within the party’s ranks, and encouraged them to work hand in hand with existing members to strengthen the NDC’s foundations ahead of future elections.
In the ever-shifting landscape of Ghanaian politics, the events in Assin South serve as a vivid reminder that loyalty is earned, and when it is not, it walks out the door, sometimes with 15,000 people in tow.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com