The running mate of the National Democratic Congress, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang has appealed to the former Member of Parliament for Pusiga Constituency, Simon Atingban Akunye, to rescind his decision to contest the upcoming 2020 general election against Hon. Hajia Laadi Ayii Ayamba, the current Member of Parliament and parliamentary candidate of the NDC in the Pusiga constituency.
Addressing party faithful in Gbewa Training College in Pusiga, Prof. Opoku Agyemang said “am told about a brother going independent. Much as it’s his prerogative to do we are really begging him in the name of the party that we all close our ranks, we know what is happening; there is too much division in our country about who is a Ghanaian and who is not and a whole lots of things. Let’s us not add to this because we need a new change and and that change is going to build inclusiveness”.
Prof. Jane Naana continued, “If you contest and it doesn’t go the way you want it doesn’t mean that the party cannot make good use of you, maybe the party can make good use of you even in a different way. So am just going on my kneels that we all work together as one big family, there is no perfect family, every family will have its own difficulty but the important thing is that we recognize where we are going and how we need to get there and unity is a very important ingredient in arriving at a conclusion that we need to get to go.”
Prof. Opoku Agyemang’s appeal follows an appeal by Hon. Hajia Laadi Ayii Ayamba to call on Hon.Simon Atingban to rescind his decision to contest the 2020 parliamentary election in the constituency as an independent candidate
Hon Laadi Ayii Ayamba said “your excellence the greatest problem we have in this constituency is the issue of an independent candidate, its quiet a difficult situation because he is my predecessor as he was also an NDC MP, in the primaries that i won, we were four in number, three men and one woman and because Almighty Allah just wanted peace to be; he gave it to me”.
“We are not comfortable, we are not happy because we want all the votes of NDC to be stabilized and be counted for the NDC. This is because we normally divide our votes among ourselves and so its important that we work in that direction to correct that problem, i will be very grateful your excellence if this matter is taken up seriously in whichever way you think you can resolve the problem to enable us get more votes, it will be in the right direction”.
Meanwhile, when WORD NEWS contacted, Simon Atingban Akunye, he confirmed he will be contesting the Pusiga Constituency seat as an independent candidate. He said his decision to contest as an independent candidate is in response to the calls by his supporters’ to contest and not his own decision because his constituents still belief in him due to his track records.
Responding to the running mate’s appeal for him to rescind his decision to contest as an independent candidate, Mr. Simon Atingban Akunye, said “how could the running mate appeal to me when i was not present at the program and without she even trying to know the root cause of my decision.”
Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang was in the Upper East Region on a two day campaign tour. She and her entourage visited some constituencies in the Bawku Traditional Area including Bawku West, Bawku central, Garu , Tempane and Pusiga. Prof, Jane Naana was accompanied by the former minister for health who is the deputy campaign manager of the party, Alex Segefia, Former deputy minister of education in charge of pre-tertiary, Samuel Okujato Ablakwa , former member of parliament and parliamentary candidate for the Zebila constituency, Hon. Cletus Avoka , member of Parliament for Bolgatanga central constituency, Hon. Isaac Adongo, Maame Afua, the national deputy women organizer among others.
Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman paid courtesy calls on some Paramount Chiefs, Divisional and sub divisional chiefs in the Bawku Traditional Area.
• Gaspard Ayuureneeya.