Members of the ruling NDC have expressed their worry over Edward Omane Boamah, Minister of Communications’ absence at the campaign launch of the NDC Parliamentary candidate, Edward Bawa for Bongo in the Upper East Region.
Many have questioned why the Communications Minister, Edward Omane Boamah did not show up as the Guest Speaker for the campaign launch on Saturday.
Huge publicity was made about the event particularly because of they were told the Communications Minister would be present to grace the occasion but he didn’t turn up. Some party members expressed their anger as to why the minister did not show up for the program and nothing was said about it at the campaign grounds.
Had it not been for the presence of the regional Minister, Albert Abongo and other parliamentary aspirants in the region, the program would have been a flop as most of the big wigs in the NDC refused to attend as a result of the current rift in the party.
Edward Bawa is facing a tough challenge in the Bongo Constituency as a result of the serious cracks created during their parliamentary primaries. Though attempts have been made to resolve this issue, no compromise has been reached yet.
Some disgruntled members of the NDC in Bongo calling themselves “Lailai” numbering close to 8,000 say Edward Bawa is divisive and does not mean well for the party hence, they would vote ‘skirt and blouse’ in the upcoming elections.
Minister Calls for Peace
Mounting the podium to address party members at the campaign grounds, the incumbent MP who doubles as the upper east regional Minister, Hon. Albert Abongo called for peace in the constituency and urged them to have a united front in order to win the upcoming elections. He said the people of Bongo should not make any ‘mistake’ by voting for the NPP because it is not a united party and ‘hate’ themselves.
Hon. Abongo added that the NDC has been helping and would continue to develop the area citing one of the community Days schools at Azee-namoo and indicated that electricity would be extended to all corners of the Constituency if they are retained. He cautioned party members not to vote ‘skirt and blouse’ because an opposition MP cannot develop the area.
“Tell your brothers and sisters not to make a mistake by voting for the NPP, tell them not to fall in that fire and come back to the NDC,” he charged.
Edward Bawa ‘Attacks’ NPP
The Bongo Constituency parliamentary candidate for the NDC, Edward Bawa without mincing words hit hard on the opposition NPP by describing it as a ‘divisive’ and a disorganised party which should not be given the mandate to govern this country.
“In this year’s elections, NPP must be shown where they belong … if they talk of disunity, they are champions, when they talk of pouring of acid … abaa they are just the champions in it, when they talk of dictatorship they are the Masters … but when you come to the NDC, what do you see? Unity … when John Mahama gets up and points to the sky you know that it is only God who crowns,” he said.
He used the track record of his predecessors to brag that this year’s elections is not competition with any political party in the constituency.
“This year’s elections is a competition between us and the target that was set in the previous years, we are not thinking of NPP as for PPP, they are just jokers … when we start on Monday, they will know where power lies” he noted.
He however, accepted responsibility for attacks on other party members especially contestants during their primaries and asked for forgiveness.
But only two of the remaining five contenders in the parliamentary primaries, Charles Bawa and Akamugri Donatus showed up at the campaign launch but Prof. Avea Nsoh, Karim Appeah and Robert Awuka were said to have been engaged in equally important issues, reason for their absence.
Meanwhile, 11 buses were sent to convey people from the 10 political zones in the Constituency to the durbar ground at St. Anne’s JHS Park.
The Bongo Constituency has been a safe seat for NDC since 1992 for both parliamentary and presidential candidates but as it stands now, victory in the parliamentary seat is not certain as a result of the deep cracks created during the parliamentary Primaries by the Edward Bawa ‘camp’.
The NDC is facing a tough challenge in the constituency due to the presence of the PPP Candidate, George Afaari and NPP Gabriel Agana who have made significant progress in capturing voters in the constituency.
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