A former parliamentary aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and independent candidate, Joseph Kofi Nyarko-Damptey, has defected to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) together with more than 15,000 supporters in the Assin South Constituency.

The announcement was made during a brief ceremony held at the NDC Constituency Office at Assin Ngresi.

Mr. Nyarko-Damptey previously contested the NPP parliamentary primary in 2016 but lost to the incumbent Member of Parliament, John Ntim Fordjour.

He subsequently contested the parliamentary elections in both 2020 and 2024 as an independent candidate but was again defeated by Mr. Ntim Fordjour.

At the ceremony, the Central Regional Vice Chairman of the NDC, Shaibu Bukari, formally presented an NDC membership card to Mr. Nyarko-Damptey to signify his official admission into the party.

Speaking to the media after the event, Mr. Nyarko-Damptey said his decision to join the NDC was influenced by the party’s development agenda and what he described as the achievements of the administration of John Dramani Mahama within its first year in office.

He called on his supporters to rally behind him and support the NDC’s programmes, urging them to uphold the party’s values of discipline, unity and commitment.

Some supporters who defected with him, many of whom were formerly aligned with the NPP, said they felt their loyalty had been taken for granted by their former party.

They explained that their decision to switch allegiance was largely due to their continued support for Mr. Nyarko-Damptey.

The Deputy Central Regional Secretary of the NDC, Eric Offei, who spoke on behalf of the party, welcomed the defectors and described their move as a sign of the NDC’s growing appeal.

He assured the new members of equal opportunities within the party and encouraged them to work together with other members to strengthen the party ahead of future elections.