Dr. Samuel Okoe Amanquah, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Kpone-Katamanso Municipality, in the Greater Accra Region, says the time had come for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to beat the political hegemony of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the constituency.

This, the MCE, who submitted his nomination forms to his party’s Constituency Secretary to contest in the 2023 parliamentary primaries, said it would need extra work and better-structured messages to all the electorate.

The Kpone-Katamanso Constituency has been a waterloo for the NDC for 32 years, with the major challenges of the area still lingering.

“Before the NPP would win power in 2000 and 2016, the roads in the constituency had been very bad, and I agree they are still bad. But, when we (NPP) are in power, our opponents talk as if they fixed all our roads, but were later destroyed when the NPP assumed power.

“They are always loud with this propaganda, and we still vote for them to represent us in Parliament. If this major challenge is what the NDC capitalises on to beat us, which means there is something we, in the NPP in the constituency, are not doing right.

“My team and I have identified that weakness in our party in the constituency, and I can promise you (delegates) that with me as your next parliamentary candidate, we will break the NDC’s dominance in 2024 when we go to the polls,” Dr. Amanquah told his supporters and media at the forecourt of the party’s office, after he had submitted and filed his nomination forms.

He said his tenure as the MCE for the Municipality had given him the privilege to meet business moguls and influential persons in the government, who are ready to help him develop the constituency.

“One more pressing challenge of my people is irregular water supply. But let me assure you all (the municipality) that I am still working hard as the MCE to get that resolved,” he added.

Dr. Samuel Okoe Amanquah is in the race with William Ofosu-Asante, and he promised to embark on a decent campaign to enable both parties to unite after the contest to defeat the NDC in the 2024 parliamentary elections.

The Constituency Secretary, Abdallah Abdulai, received the submission forms and said: “The Constituency Executives have shut the doors to anybody who wants to pick nominations forms, because we want to have only two contestants to enable the party to cement its authority at the base of the constituency. We need to win this seat for the first time after 32 years.”

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Savannah Regional Chairman, Alhaji Iddrisu Sulemana, alias Professor Kalamonia, has made a passionate appeal to all ten flagbearer-hopefuls of the party to avoid character assassination in their campaigns.

The party’s Vetting Committee validated all the 10 to participate in the upcoming Special Electoral College Election.

Alhaji Iddrisu Sulemana, in a statement, congratulated and advised them to be guided by the breaking the ‘8’ mantra, and concentrate their campaigns on strategies that would unite the party after the internal contest.

“I’m joining the numerous calls by well-meaning sympathisers of the great NPP to the aspirants to conduct their campaigns in a decorous manner devoid of insults and vulgar language. We in the Savannah Region remain united and resolute in contributing our quota towards the historic victory of the party come 2024, hence I would like to call on all aspirants once again, to present to us their messages that in the end, will make our party remain united behind the victorious candidate for us to break the 8 with ease.”

Professor Kalamonia welcomed all 10 flagbearer-hopefuls to the Savannah Region, and urged the delegates there to be impartial in handling them.

“While welcoming each and every one of them to the region as they begin their campaigns across the country, I entreat them to ensure their campaigns are decorous and focus on strategies that will help the party break the eight. The party remains united under my leadership in contributing our quota towards breaking the ‘8’, and I expect likewise from all the aspirants during and after the flag bearer race.”

Alhaji Suleman Iddrisu said the NPP in no doubt remained a formidable force going into the 2024 general elections and thus emphasized the need for all 10 aspirants to take solemn from the holy Quran chapter 3 verse 26, after the race. “Say: ‘O God, Lord of all dominion! Thou grants dominion unto whom Thou willets, and takes away dominion from whom Thou willets, and Thou exalts whom Thou willets, and abases whom Thou willets in Thy hand is all good. Verily, Thou hast the power to will anything.”

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwesimintsim, Dr. Prince Hamid Armah has admonished delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to elect Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to lead the party into the 2024 election.

He said Dr. Bawumia stands tall among the rest and the best candidate to gap between the young and the old

The MP made the statement during a campaign tour by the Vice President Dr. Bawumia to the constituency titled: “Bawumia connects, Kwesimintsim connected.”

In a spirited and hearted speech, the MP said the selection of Dr. Bawumia would against the notion that NPP is an Akan party.

“As a party, we stand at the crossroads once again. But this crossroad is of a unique kind. We stand at a place where we have the unique opportunity to permanently silence critics and naysayers.

“We have once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to totally dispel the notion that our party is Akan-centric when it comes to electing a flagbearer. We have the opportunity to demonstrate to the good people of Ghana that we uphold the values and virtues of hard work, humility, and service. Edwumapa gya owura Kwan,” he urged.

He said Dr. Bawumia is the best candidate for the party, due to his vision, passion and experience to propel the country’s development to the next level.

The MP warned that the party had no other better option than the Vice President, particularly when they “do not have the luxury to do trial and error.”

He contended that the NPP choice of flagbear is an indication to the Ghanaian electorates that the ruling government upholds the values and virtues of hard work, humility, and service.

“The one, who has gone to war and has waged a good warfare, and bears the scars of battle, is the one who must lead his people to victory. That humble but brave warrior is Dr. Bawumia!”

According to him, the only aspiring presidential candidate with positivity and possibility leadership mindset to liberate the people and inspire them to have a new sense of self-belief, is Dr. Bawumia.

“Dr. Bawumia is a man of uncommon mental strength and fortitude. He is the leader with the ability and capacity to emancipate our youth and our people from the mental shackles that silently bind us. He is the one to propel us to new glorious heights of development,” he echoed.

Dr. Armah also talked about the bond that exists between him and Dr. Bawumia and believes that it is a powerful alliance of mutual respect, true belief, trust, and a deep desire to work together for the betterment of the constituency, the region and the country at large.

The flag bearer for the 2024 election on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has said that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has created a crisis of confidence in the population.

According to him, due to the actions and inactions of the ruling NPP, Ghanaians now think politicians are liars.

He said, “They’ll just lie for political power. If I did one-tenth of what they [NPP] have done these last eight years, I’m sure that I would have been pilloried and crucified on a cross by now.”

“They [NPP] are happy to push that mantra and make it look like, ‘Oww, you’re better off staying with us because if the NDC comes, it will be the same.’ That is the psychology of the propaganda they are doing; it’s not the same,” he added.

Mr. Mahama said the NDC “has a track record: We have given more Ghanaians electricity than any party in this country. Rawlings started the national and rural electrification programmes which have brought Ghana to above 80 percent electricity coverage, among the top 10 in Africa.”

“We’ve given more Ghanaians water than any party in the history of this country. When Prof. [John Evans Atta Mills] came into office, water coverage was 55 percent; by the time I left office, water coverage was 72 percent.”

“Seventy-two percent of Ghanaians had access to good drinking water. We have built all the public universities in this country. NPP hasn’t built one public university. They are just good at renaming them after their party figures. And, so, somebody builds a university, and you come and name it Dombo University, Tedam University, and so don’t let them come to tell us we and they are the same. We are not the same. They should just wallow in their mess and leave us alone.”