The incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for New Juaben South in the Eastern Region, Michael Okyere Baafi, has said all the party needed was unity to win this year’s general elections.
That, he indicated, would fulfil the party’s mantra of breaking the eight.
Mr Baafi made the remarks last Saturday after he was acclaimed the NPP parliamentary candidate for the 2024 general elections at party’s constituency delegates’ conference to affirm his candidature at the newly-constructed astro turf soccer pitch in Koforidua, the regional capital.
He was endorsed by all the 1,012 delegates present at the venue.
That followed the disqualification of Nana Yaa Ansah by the party’s vetting committee.
Aggrieved members
Mr Baafi, who is also a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, said he would do everything possible to bring all aggrieved party members in the constituency together to enable them work together to win the December 7 general elections.
“With unity, we can easily break the eight together,” he stated.
Campaign
Mr Baafi assured party members that his outfit would not work in isolation as such needed all and sundry to join him in the campaign to retain the parliamentary seat, as well as the presidency.
“There is no need for any of you delegates to be in any camp with the party at the constituency level because we all form one big family”, Mr Baafi indicated.
The MP stated that the development of the constituency was his topmost priority and that he had improved the socio-economic conditions of the people in the area of education, health, scholarship, jobs, roads construction and boreholes, among others.
Bury differences
Earlier, the Deputy General-Secretary of the NPP, Haruna Mohammed, appealed to aggrieved party members in the constituency to do away with their differences and rally behind the MP for a resounding victory at this year’s polls.
He indicated that on the whole, the NPP had performed better than the opposition NDC in all aspects of development, and as such it must be supported to retain power.
Present at the ceremony included the MP for Akyem Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, the Eastern Regional First Vice Chairman of NPP, Twum Barimah; the Regional Secretary, Tony Osei Adjei; and the New Juaben North parliamentary candidate, Nana Osei-Adjei.
Others present were traditional rulers such as the Gyaasehene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Nana Twumasi Danquah, who represented the Omanhene, Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III.
There was also the Council of Muslim Chiefs and religious bodies, among others.
Delegates
The NPP New Juaben South Constituency Secretary, Alhassan Abubakar, aka Beewaasa, called on the delegates comprising polling station executives, electoral area coordinators, council of elders and patrons, among others in groups, to decide the fate of Mr Baafi.
They then threw their weight behind the MP with the show of hands.
Since there was no dissenting move by any of the delegates within the groups, the work of the Electoral Commission (EC) official declared Mr Baafi as the one to contest the 2024 parliamentary election in the constituency, on the ticket of the NPP.
Writer’s email