NPP Elects More Parliamentary Candidates

As election 2008 draws near, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is busily selecting its parliamentary candidates to contest the various seats.

At Abetifi in the Eastern Region, Wiafe Peprah, managing director of Paramount Distilleries, was elected to contest the Abetifi Constituency.

He polled 88 votes as against 15 and 10 respectively obtained by Benjamin Aggrey Ntim, Minister of Communications and Ben Kofi Boamah, a pharmacist.

The two contestants pledged to support Mr Peprah to win the seat and the presidential election.

Mr Yaw Gyekye Amoabeng, NPP Eastern Regional chairman, commended the delegates for ensuring a peaceful election and urged them to unite and support the candidate to win the parliamentary seat.

Paul C. Appiah-Offori, Member of Parliamentary for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa constituency, was on Friday retained as the NPP parliamentary candidate.

All the 72 of the total 111 polling station chairmen and constituency executives who were present at the NPP primaries at Breman Asikuma, by popular acclamation endorsed Mr. Appiah-Offori.

The district electoral officer, Mr. Dowuna Hammond, conducted the election, which was supervised by NPP Central Regional executives.

Alhaji Mohammed Jeberim, NPP Central Regional organiser, said according to the party’s constitution two thirds of the total number of delegates present could vote to elect a parliamentary candidate.

Mr Appiah-Offori thanked the delegates for retaining him as parliamentary candidate and promised that he would not abuse the confidence reposed in him.

Mr Emmanuel Adjei Domson, District Chief Executive of Asikuma-Odo-ben-Brakwa, called on NPP supporters to unite for victory in the forthcoming election in December.

He urged them to avoid the use of abusive language in their electioneering campaign.

Mr Samuel Jonfia, the incumbent NPP Member of Parliament for Ahanta West, was on Saturday elected to contest the December election.

Mr Jonfia, who had represented the constituency on the NPP ticket since 2000, beat Madam Henrietta Ayison, an educationist, by 64 votes to 51 in a keenly contested election.

At the delegates meeting, six out of the 122 delegates were absent while one ballot paper was rejected by officials of the Electoral Commission led by Mr Nat A. Quaye, the district director, who conducted the election.

The election nearly ran into difficulties when one party member decided to vote in the name of an absentee delegate, resulting in heated arguments among the delegates.

Mr. Quaye stepped in and threatened to march off anyone who tried to disrupt the election saying that the commission would not accept any voting by proxy.

Nana Owusu Ankomah, NPP Western Regional Chairman, in his address said the Ahanta West constituency was a stronghold of the party and this position must be maintained at all cost.

Mr Jonfia and Madam Ayison pledged to work together to ensure total victory for the NPP and asked their supporters to work hard to win more supporters for the party.

Mr Kojo Acquah, regional organiser of the party, appealed to the delegates to comport themselves to ensure orderly and smooth election.

Kofi Poku Adusei, incumbent MP for Bekwai, was on Saturday re-elected as the parliamentary candidate for the NPP at its delegates congress held at Kokofu near Bekwai.

He polled 70 votes out of the 139 total ballots cast to beat Mr Joe Osei-Owusu, Chief Executive of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, who had 69 votes.

The election charac-terised by tension and tight security was conducted by the Electoral Commission in the presence of Ashanti Regional Executives of the NPP led by its chairman, Mr Yaw Amankwah.

The election which was generally peaceful was nearly marred when the campaign team of Mr Osei-Owusu protested to the regional party executives that Nana Yaa Takyiwaa from Adankrangya was not properly registered as a delegate.

However, the regional and the constituency executives managed to calm down the situation.

Mr Amankwah advised delegates and supporters of the NPP to bury their differences and map out campaign strategies to enable the party to win the 2008 election.

Kwadwo Appiah-Pinkrah, incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Akrofuom on Saturday got the nod to contest this year’s parliamentary elections on the ticket of the NPP at its primaries held at Akrofuom in the Adansi South District.

He polled 41 votes to defeat Mrs Comfort Am-pong who had nine votes in the election conducted by the Electoral Commission.

Mr Appiah-Pinkrah thanked the delegates for his re-election and pledged to continue to ensure peace and development of the area.

In a related development, Mr Emmanuel Gyamfi, the incumbent MP for Odotobri Constituency, polled 77 votes to beat Madam Victoria Antwi Sarpong, who had 44 votes in the primaries held at Jacobu in the Amansie Central District.

At Obuasi, Mr Edward Ennin, also the incumbent NPP MP polled 65 votes to beat Mr Kwaku Kwar-teng, government spokesperson for Finance, who had 64 votes.

The two contestants embraced each other after the EC declared the results and pledged to work together for the party’s victory in the December polls.

Mr Yaw Amankwah, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, urged party supporters to remain united and campaign for the party to enable it to win the presidential and parliamentary elections.