Grandson of J.B Danquah elected NPP candidate

Kukurantumi (E/R), June 7, GNA - The grandson of J.B. Danquah, Doyen of Ghanaian Politics; Mr Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu was on Sunday elected as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Abuakwa North at the Party's primaries held at Kukurantumi in the East Akim District.

Mr Danquah-Adu, 39, an Industrialist, polled 56 votes to defeat Dr Kwadwo Amoako of the City University, New York, who polled 10 votes. Two others - Mr Kwadwo Appiah-Korang Peasah, a Computer Engineer and Mr Amaning Twum, a Horticulturist and Farm Manager of the Cocoa Research Institute, Bunso, had zero votes.

Speaking at the function, Mr Lord Commey, NPP National Organiser, said President J.A. Kufuor had already completed his re-election campaign tour of the country, "but what is left is for parliamentary candidates to do what is expected of them for the Party to win the 170 parliamentary seats that the Party has targeted."

He said the National Democratic Party (NDC) was not a problem to the NPP but rather it was intra-party disputes among members of the NPP. Mr Commey told the losing candidates that there were many positions that they could be considered for, once the Party was in power. "One need not be a Member of Parliament before he or she could serve the Party and the country," he said.

The Regional Chairman of the Party, Nana Adi Ankama, gave the assurance that the NPP would be law-abiding and that it would ensure free and fair elections in the region.

However, the Party was ready to confront anybody who would do anything to disrupt the elections, he cautioned.

Mr Ankama said the NPP Government had delivered on all the five major promises it made to the electorate. He, therefore, charged the Party Executive in the Constituency to ensure that it won 90 per cent of the total votes that would be cast in Election 2004.

Mr Emmanuel Victor Asihene, East Akim District Chief Executive, stated that based on the work that the District Assembly had done, he was sure that the electorate in the constituency would vote for the NPP. Speaking to Journalists later, Mr Danquah-Adu said he entered politics to complete the "unfinished work" of his grandfather.

He gave assurance that when elected as Member of Parliament, he would help to establish agro-industries in the Constituency to make it attractive for development.