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24.08.2004 General News

Deputy Attorney-General wins NPP primary

24.08.2004 LISTEN
By GNA

Lawra (UW/R), Aug. 24, GNA - Mr Ambrose Patrick Dery, a Deputy Attorney-General and Deputy Minister of Justice, was on Monday elected New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the Lawra/Nandom Constituency in the Upper West Region.

He polled 60 votes as against 23 by Dr Nurah Gyiele, a Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, who is also a member of the National Council of the Party, at Delegates' Congress held at Lawra.

Three other candidates - Mr Emilio K. Musah, a Tamale-based Legal Practitioner; Mr Alexis W. Nakaar, a Retired Diplomat and Mr Stephen Engmen, Special Assistant to the Upper West Regional Minister, withdrew before the election, supervised by the Electoral Commission, was conducted.

Mr Musah and Mr Nakaar accused the Constituency Executive of treating them unfairly by failing to write to inform them of the primary on time and, therefore, called for it to be postponed.

Mr Engmen also expressed similar sentiments but withdrew only when voting was about to begin and urged his supporters to vote for Mr Dery. The Regional Executive objected to the demand for postponement, saying, the NPP had no time frame for any candidate to campaign for primaries.

After the declaration of the result, jubilant supporters of Mr Dery invaded the District Assembly Hall, where the primary was held and in their excitement and ecstasy mobbed him to the extent that he could not deliver his acceptance speech.

Speaking to newsmen later, Mr Dery noted that politicians in the area had in the past done little to meet the needs and aspirations of the people and failed to mobilise them to participate in development programmes and that was why he was in the political arena to address. He said he had already cultivated intimate relations with his constituents within his one-and-a-half-year in government and this would be strengthened if he won the seat from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Dr Gyiele said their tension-filled primary was a manifestation of the NPP's democratic credentials, which encouraged healthy rivalry for a common good and, therefore, saw his loss as victory for the Party. He pledged to give his fullest support to Mr Dery to enable him to capture the seat from the NDC.

"Defeating our common enemy is our collective goal and we shall work hard to ensure that this ambition is achieved this year," he said. Alhaji Abdulai Issahaque, Regional Chairman of the Party, said Parliament was not only the avenue through which one could serve his people.

He called for compromises to ensure that only candidates, who could win their seats, were elected at the primaries.

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