"Our Constituents Want Akufo-Addo": Western MPs, Chairmen Declare

Five out of the eight Members of Parliament in the Western Region have explained that their decision to vote for Nana Akufo-Addo in the upcoming presidential primary of the New Patriotic Party, beginning with the August 31 Special Electoral College, is borne out of the fact that he is the choice of the constituents who voted them into office to become MPs. Hon. Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu, MP for Bibiani/Anhwiaso/Bekwai; Hon. Alex Agyekum, MP for Mpohor; Hon. Gifty Eugenia Kusi, MP for Tarkwa Nsuaem; Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, MP for Takoradi; and Hon. Joe Baidoe-Ansah, MP for Kwesimintsim made this known at the Assembly Hall of the Tarkwa Secondary School, when Nana Akufo-Addo took his campaign to lead the party to the Western Region. Hon. Gifty Eugenia Kusi stated that "my constituents say it is Nana they want, so who am I to say otherwise.?" She explained that Nana Akufo-Addo is the only candidate, amongst all the other aspirants, who has been thoroughly marketed and is known in every nook and cranny of the country. "I want to assure Nana Addo that the over 100 MPs who support him in Parliament are solidly behind him. I am the lead MP in that regard, and whether it is August 31, or October 18, or December 7, my vote will always be for Nana Akufo-Addo," she stressed. MP for Mpohor, Hon. Alex Agyekum, on his part, appealed to the 51 delegates who will be voting in the Special Electoral College to send a clear signal to the rest of the NPP and the country by voting massively for Nana Akufo-Addo. "August 31 must send a clear signal to the country and the NPP, in particular. We must send a message to constituency and polling station executives, who will vote on October 18, that Akufo-Addo is the man the NPP want, and by extension the candidate preferred by Ghanaians," he said. He, however, admonished the executives that "if any member of the party, who previously did not support Akufo-Addo, but has now changed his or her mind must be brought on board as we need everyone to win election 2016." Hon. Joe Baidoe-Ansah, MP for Kweisimintsim, paid a glowing tribute to Nana Akufo-Addo. He explained to the delegates that he has known Nana Akufo-Addo even before the pair ventured into politics, and the work he has done for party and country over the years is well documented, adding that "I wish him well." MP for Takoradi, Hon. Okyere Darko-Mensah, in a short endorsement, stated that "I am 101% for Nana Akufo-Addo. Whether the NDC like it or not, Akufo-Addo has won election 2016 in advance." Concluding the declaration of support for Nana Akufo-Addo, Hon. Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu appealed to delegates not to take chances in the August 31 Special Electoral College and the October 18 primary of the party. He said, "2016 is not a time for experiments. Ghana needs a man to lead us to victory. We cannot afford to wait for 2020 because Ghana will be doomed by then." Constituency Chairmen back Nana Twenty-four (24) out of twenty-six (26) constituency chairmen in the region also threw their individual support behind Nana Akufo-Addo. Led by Mr. Alex Tetteh, Chairman of the Sefwi Akontombra constituency, he said that "On behalf of the constituency chairmen in the region, with 24 of us present here, we want to assure you that whether you are 100 or 200 years old, you are the one we are going to support. We are giving you 100%. On August 31, we are assuring you that you have won. We also assure you that in 2016, we are also going to win a majority of seats in parliament. We will put our lives on the line to ensure that you become President in 2016." They urged Nana Akufo-Addo to stay true to his pledge of ensuring that the battle for the 2016 election is won at the polling station, adding that the campaign must be decentralised.