Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, is entreating residents of Kumawu to vote massively for Akwasi Amankwaa, the NDC’s parliamentary candidate for Kumawu to win the seat in the upcoming by-election.
Akwasi Amankwaa popularly known as ‘Tom Cee’, was acclaimed by the party in April and went unopposed during the party’s recent presidential and parliamentary primaries on May 13th.
The electoral management body Electoral Commission (EC) has slated May 23 for the Kumawu by-election.
The by-election follows the demise of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) MP, Philip Basoah who passed away in March, aged 54.
The by-election has generated interest among the two leading political parties-the governing New Patriotic Party and the opposition NDC, with the former giving indications of retaining the seat for the NPP and the latter being confident of snatching the seat.
Interacting with the Muslim community in Kumawu in the Ashanti Region on May 19, the former President called on NDC members to ensure that the parliamentary candidate wins the by-election.
“We all know that constitutionally, after the death of our younger brother Philip Basoah, there has to be a by-election. We acclaimed Akwasi Amankwaa for the 2024 general elections, but now that we are in for a by-election, he will be representing the party.
“I’m calling on our Zongo chiefs, Imams and all of you to pray and vote massively for Akwasi Amankwaa to win the seat. NDC brings relief anytime we are in power. We in the NDC do not discriminate, we share projects across the board. Though we have not won the Kumawu seat before, all beautiful projects in Kumawu were undertaken by the NDC government. We know that your prayers and God’s grace will bring us to power”.
H.E. John Mahama further officially introduced the party’s parliamentary candidate for the Kumawu by-election, Akwasi Amankwaa, to the Kumawuhene, Barima Sarfo Tweneboah Kodua II.
John Mahama was in Kumawu together with the leadership of the NDC to support the Ashanti Regional and Kuawu Constituency to campaign ahead of Tuesday’s by-election.
Meanwhile, there have been widespread reports suggesting that the ruling New Patriotic Party has adopted a series of strategies aimed at swaying votes in the favour of the NPP’s candidate ahead of the by-election.
Even though the Government has denied the allegations, a number of videos circulating on social media show recent infrastructural development ongoing in the Kumawu constituency. The town, which had not witnessed any major upgrades over the years, has experienced significant development in the past few days. Numerous untarred roads in the area have been paved, and construction of new roads is currently underway.
Other videos also show members of the New Patriotic Party sharing pieces of wax prints, fans, mobile phones as well as food items including rice, oil, sugar, and cash.
