Day: December 26, 2023

Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged Ghanaians not to fall prey to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) litany of ‘phantom’ and ‘broken promises’ during the Elections 2024.

He said as an incumbent government that was approaching the end of its second term in office, the expectation would have been for it to make the re-election bid based on its current performance and record of accomplishment.

‘Instead, we see the NPP making very grandiose promises to Ghanaians of what they would do if re-elected, while staying silent on how their abysmal current performance, an indicator of how well they will do if re-elected,’ he said.

Speaking at separate durbars in the Central Region, he described the 2016, 2020 and a yet to be announced 2024 manifesto of the NPP as ‘promises made, promises broken and promises repeated’.

Knowing that, the NDC National Chairman asked the people of the Central Region to own the party and make it one of the regional strongholds,
having had many of its stalwarts as leaders.

Having had former leaders like the late Kow Nkensen Arkaah, Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur, both former Vice Presidents, late Prof John Evans Atta Mills, former President, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, a former Education Minister, late Ama Benyiwa Doe, former Central Regional Minister, the Region deserved to change its voting pattern, he said.

Mr Asiedu Nketia said it had become clear that Ghana needed a new precedent, which required the election of a new leader, who would leverage on his credibility with the people to lift the country to greater development heights.

‘The Elections 2024 is very critical in the country’s history, with greater emphasis on a leader who will be the preference of the majority of Ghanaians and not just a leader of a political party,’ he said.

Allaying the fears of Mr Nketia, Prof Richard Kofi Asiedu, the Central Regional Chairman of the NDC, saying said in the Elections 2020, the party won 13 of the 23 parliamentary seats and secured 45
.9 per cent of the presidential votes.

Nonetheless, the regional arm of the party was determined to increase its presidential votes in the Region from the 45.9 per cent in 2020 to over 60 per cent in 2024.

The party would win at least 20 out of the 23 parliamentary seats and more than 60 per cent of presidential votes in the Elections 2024, he said.

He indicated that the party had therefore, set a target to increase both its parliamentary and presidential votes from 13 to 20 and from 45.9 per cent to 60 per cent respectively.
Source:Ghana News Agency

Former President John Dramani Mahama Friday, ended his two-day tour of the Central with a pledge to rebound growth in agriculture particularly the cocoa sector.

Reacting to some concerns of farmers at separate durbars, the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said the cocoa sector played a pivotal role in Ghana’s economy.

However, due to ill-thought policies by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, the once buoyant cocoa industry was on the verge of collapse.

The former President said the NDC government’s supply of free fertilizer, seedlings, and inputs to cocoa farmers led to an increase in the annual crop yield, but that policy change by the current government had drastically national yield.

‘When we started giving out free fertilizers, it was because we realised it would help improve yield, and in the 2016/17 crop year, we recorded a massive increase in produce.

‘I cannot understand why this government will decide to stop that and sell the fertilizers to the farmers… It is
wickedness to leave the fertilizer in warehouses because the farmers cannot buy them,’ he indicated.

Mr Mahama promised to bolster the country’s cocoa sector with well-thought-out policy interventions towards enhancing the cocoa value chain, a vital sector to the country’s economic recovery.

The move is not only geared towards increasing the income of cocoa farmers, but also towards creating employment opportunities and fostering economic development in these regions.

As well, Mr Mahama said the fisheries sub-sector had encountered depressing outputs for some time now, ‘resulting in very high deficits in national fish supply, relative to demand and consumption requirements’.

His major concerns in the fishing industry included weak infrastructure to develop the post-harvest sub-sector, unsafe and insanitary landing beaches and the proliferation of illegal fishing methods and activities.

Therefore, the NDC government’s construction of the processing plant would help ‘reduce post-harvest losses, add value t
o the fish catch and thereby optimise the value the nation derives from its fishing industry.’

For premix fuel, Mr Mahama accused the government of undermining the efforts of artisanal fishers and contributing to the challenges they faced.

‘When we were in power, we set up the landing beach committee, and at that time, anyone could be a member. The premix was distributed judiciously.

‘But now, fuel diversion and mismanagement of the distribution of premix fuel appear to have reached its peak. The NPP government is politicising the distribution,’ he criticised.

Mr Mahama on Friday began a two-day campaign tour of the Central Region dubbed: ‘Building Ghana’.

He interacted with traditional authorities, supporters, and interest groups across the Region.
Source:Ghana News Agency

Five persons have successfully filed nominations to contest in the upcoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries in the Sefwi-Wiawso Constituency of the Western North Region.

After close of nominations on Monday, December 25, four males and a female had submitted their nomination forms to contest in the elections.

They are; Mr Festus Bumangamah Agyapong, Mr Atta Boamah, Dr Francis Xavier Andoh-Adjei, Mr Martin Bonye and Mrs Golly Antwi Bosiako, the party’s Regional Women Organizer.

Mr Emmanuel Atta-Marfo, the Constituency Secretary, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) indicated that vetting of the aspirants would commence between January 3 and 5 next year.

He called on aspirants and their supporters to run their campaigns devoid of insults to help maintain the peace and unity within the party before, during and after the primaries.

Dr Kwaku Afriyie, the incumbent Member of Parliament for the area, won the Wiawso parliamentary seat for the first time in 2016 with 31,736 votes as
against National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) Evans Paul Aidoo who polled 26,206 votes.

He retained the seat in the 2020 general elections but has decided to step down after the end of his second term.
Source:Ghana News Agency

Mr Daniel Nana Addo Kenneth, the Okere District Chief Executive (DCE), has filed nomination for the Okere NPP Parliamentary Primaries to replace Mr Dan Botwe, who has declared his intention not to contest come December 2024.

The DCE, started his political career as a polling station Executive and became Okere constituency NPP secretary for nine years, until his appointment as DCE for Okere five years ago.

A few days ago, Mr Dan Botwe, the widely acclaimed ‘Generalisimo’ of Ghana’s politics and Member of Parliament (MP) for Okere, disclosed his intention to bow out from Parliament after the tenure of his term in 2024.

Mr Dan Botwe, a former General Secretary of the NPP and Local Government Minister, leaves Parliament in 2024 after serving four terms and a total of 16 years as the Okere MP for his Party.

Following that, the DCE picked his nomination form and submitted same to contest with five others, who had also picked nomination forms to contest for the Okere NPP parliamentary candidature at the close o
f nomination on December 25.

Speaking to enthusiastic party supporters and functionaries on Christmas day after filing his nomination, Mr Kenneth said he believed that he was the best candidate to replace Mr Dan Botwe.

‘When a huge tree is uprooted, you replace with an equally strong tree so that the void is not felt,’ he said, whiles recounting the legacies of Mr Dan Botwe.

He said all the contestants seeking NPP parliamentary candidature including himself, would undoubtedly stand on the legacies of Mr Dan Botwe to win the hearts of the people, to maintain the Okere seat for Party ‘and having worked closely with him all these years I am the best replacement’.

A huge crowd of NPP supporters, party functionaries including polling station coordinators and executives thronged the NPP party office at Adukrom to throw their weight behind the DCE as he filed his nomination.
Source:Ghana News Agency

Mr. Charles Bissue, the Aspiring Parliamentary Candidate for the Essikado-Ketan Constituency has submitted his forms to solidify his interest in appropriating the seat for the party.

Mr Bissue, the former Western Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), accompanied by market women, some polling station executives, market queens, and delegates presented his nomination forms at the weekend amidst brass band music.

Also, the former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Mr Bissue pledged a clean campaign devoid of insults.

‘I am very aware of the fact that insults and name-calling can never win an election, it is about truth, facts and what the people want, and I am confident that I am the right person.’

However, the astute NPP loyalist is faced with the bigger challenge of succeeding the long-standing Member of Parliament, Joe Ghartey, who has represented the constituency for over two decades.

‘I acknowledge the stiff political landscape, referring to the previous gene
ral elections where the National Democratic Congress (NDCs) came close and called for all party faithful’s involvement for the expected victory in Essikado-Ketan.

‘I am not the big man, everyone has his/her own politics; the NDC closed the gap in the last elections, and they feel they can win the seat this time. The Essikado-Ketan seat cannot be joked with -so we need someone with experience.’

He narrated how he worked for the party to maintain majority seats for the NPP in the region adding, ‘We need to continue where Joe Ghartey left off, solidify the base of Essikado-Ketan in parliament, and that’s what I’m seeking to do.’

Mr Bissue had been the Regional Secretary for eight years, national council member for eight years, Northampton chair, presidential staffer among other responsibilities in the Party.
Source:Ghana News Agency