Following the untimely death of the Member of Parliament of the Kumawu Constituency, Hon. Philip Basoah, the Electoral Commission of Ghana has taken steps to conduct a by-election to elect his successor.
The New Patriotic Party, which currently holds the seat, has also commenced steps to elect its Parliamentary Candidate ahead of the by-election. Eight (8) persons have so far picked nomination forms, out of which include the immediate predecessor of the late Hon. Philip Basoah, Hon. Yaw Baah, the current First Vice Chairperson of the party in the constituency, Appiah Kubi, two of the opponents of Hon. Basoah in the recently held parliamentary primaries, Dr. Bannor and Lawyer Edward Osei, the Secretary-General at the Ghana National Commission for UNESCO, Madam Ama Serwaa, and a couple others.
A visit to the constituency by our news desk realised that, the constituents, who are already fatigued by the protracted conflict and tension in the party at the constituency, are calling for a competent candidate who is not linked to any of the feuding factions in the constituency. According to reports from the constituency, the constituents believe the tension and lack of unity contributed to the slow pace of development in the constituency. They therefore believe that, it’s about time they prioritised the constituency’s interest and development ahead of any other, and as a result hold the position that, none of the candidates that played one role or the other in the tension must be elected, as that would be a harbinger of more confusion and tension in years to come.
“It is known by all that there is a huge rift among the party people in the constituency. And we would need a unifying, humble, respectful, hard-working person to be the rallying figure around whom all the various factions will bury their individual interests and support the party’s interest in order for peace to prevail, and development to follow”.
Asked who among the potential aspirants fits perfectly for the bill, the name that appears dominant is that of Madam Ama Serwaa. They claim none of the factions can lay claim to her, and beyond that, she radiates unity and calmness while exuding humility.
Another constituent added, “We believe that person is Ama Serwaa. She’s not for any of the camps. Beyond that, she has the qualities of the person needed at this material moment. Humble, respectful and affable. She was here recently, and you can tell she’s a very good person. We have resolved to support and vote for her as the MP, so the party people should just present her as the parliamentary candidate if they want the NPP votes to increase in the constituency”.
The constituents believe that, the party has been given a rare privilege opportunity to elect a huge unifying figure as the parliamentary candidate, and subsequently Member of Parliament. Therefore, if they fail to seize this opportunity to end the tension in the constituency once and for all, then it is really squarely their own doing.
