Baba Jamal Steals Show At Akwatia NPP Primary

Mr Mohammed Ahmed Baba Jamal, the Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, stole the show at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Primary to elect Akwatia constituency executive for the party. Though not invited Mr Baba Jamal, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Akwatia, said he felt the need to turn up to express solidarity with the party and to wish the delegates well. Wearing NPP colours around his neck, he shook hands with the delegates and leading members of the party including Dr Kofi Asare who beat him in the 2008 parliamentary election and Mr Kinston Akomea Kissi who twice defeated him in 2000 and 2004. Mr. Baba Jamal who won the seat on his fourth attempt danced with members of the party to a warm applause and in a brief speech called for unity, love and respect for the good of the nation. Before leaving, he donated GHC 500 to the constituency executive to support the primary. Observers felt that with that gesture politics at Akwatia would not be the same again, giving the violence which characterized the 2008 election which brought in its wake the imposition of curfew in the area. In the elections, three executive members were returned unopposed. They were the chairman, Mr. Baba Yakubu, popularly known as �Baba Yenkro�, the women�s organizer, Ms Mercy Adu Gyamfi, known to many as Ama Sey, and the youth organizer Mr. Kwadwo Owusu. The position of the first vice chairman went to Mr. Alhassan Dauda Dawara, who polled 463 votes to defeat his challenger, Mr. E.O Darkwa, who got 77 votes. Four persons vied for the position of second vice chairman, which was won by Mr. Kwadwo Ansong with 142 votes, followed by Mr. Kwesi Asabere with 139 votes, Ms Grace Boatemaa 110 votes and Mr. Kofi Adomako with 90 votes. Mr. Eugene Opoku Acheampong retained his position of secretary, beating Mr. Stephen Marfo by 389 votes to 95. In the contest for assistant secretary, Mr. Stephen Agyei had 325 with Mr. Atta Gyimah securing 156 votes. The position of organizer went to Mr. Ebenezer Okyere who secured 232 votes with the incumbent Mr. Ali Abubakar getting 144 votes and Kwame Gyekye 108 votes. In the contest for treasurer, Mr. Emmanuel Asihene won with 176 votes followed by Mr. Bright Ntiamoah 159 votes, Ms Eunice Appiah 93 and Mr. Stephen Nyarko 55 votes. Both Dr Asare and Mr. Kissi urged the polling station and constituency executive to embark on massive mobilization and organization to ensure that the party recaptures the seat in 2016. Mr. William Ampem-Darko, a former Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), popularly known as Willy Pee, who represented the regional executive sworn in the elected executive and asked them to make the necessary sacrifices to unseat the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2016.