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30.11.2011 Politics

Kwasi Ahwoi’s Rejection. Farmers' Day Venue To Be Changed?

By Daily Guide
Kwasi AhwoiKwasi Ahwoi
30.11.2011 LISTEN

INFORMATION REACHING DAILY GUIDE indicates that Agona Nsaba, the original venue for this year's National Farmers' Day celebration might be changed following the defeat of Kwesi Ahwoi as NDC parliamentary candidate for Agona East.

The Minister of Food and Agriculture contested the parliamentary candidacy for the constituency during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) primary last Saturday but lost.  

A reliable source in the farming community of Agona Nsaba located in the Central region alleged that Mr. Ahwoi's purported decision to take this year's National Farmers' Day celebration slated for December 2 to the Agona East constituency, was one of the ploys he initiated to persuade delegates to vote for him.

During the NDC primaries, Mr. Ahwoi polled 143 votes as against 146 by his main challenger, Queenster Pokuah Sawyer, an estate developer.

Rumours spreading in the Agona Nsaba area are that Mr. Ahwoi is allegedly initiating moves to change the Farmer's Day venue  to another district in the region since he felt he had been rejected by the people of the area.

A prominent farmer at Agona Nsaba who spoke to DAILY GUIDE on condition of anonymity noted that one major reason why Mr. Ahwoi lost was that the people knew the agriculture minister hailed from the Sefwi area in the Western region.

'Even though there was nothing wrong in voting for someone who did not hail from Nsaba since we are all Ghanaians, the delegates wanted someone who had always been with them in the area through thick and thin,' our source said. 

The farmer added that although a section of Ghanaians have been praising Mr. Ahwoi for being one of the most hardworking ministers, he thinks otherwise alleging that apart from cocoa, agriculture did not do well in terms of contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the 2012 budget statement.

He appealed to President Mills to cut short his trip abroad and  join the farmers during this year's celebration so that they can interact with him and tell him their problems.

In a related development, NDC delegates in the Ahanta West constituency of the Western region have also given some reasons why they voted against Sam Pee Yalley, a lawyer and former deputy minister who contested the parliamentary primaries in the community.

Mr. Yalley polled 155 votes as against 163 by his main opponent, George Aboagye, Executive Director of the Ghana Investment Promotion Council.

Some delegates who spoke to DAILY GUIDE after the primaries, alleged that Mr. Yalley contested for the position of a member of Council of State last year to represent the Central region, even though he is Ahanta but lost.

'Mr. Yalley should have contested the NDC primaries in the Central region since he has always identified himself with the people in that region,' one of the delegates noted.

 From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi
 

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