By Benjamin A. Commey
Accra, March 01, GNA — Five persons, including two females have picked nomination forms to contest the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary slot in the Ablekuma West Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.
The five are: The Reverend Kweku Addo, the Party’s 2020 Parliamentary Candidate, Kobby Mensah, Nana Adubea Koranteng, Abednego Agbesi and Marian Korkor Aryeetey.
Mr Bright Mawuli Ahoto, the Party’s Constituency Chairman, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the Party expected all parliamentary candidate hopefuls to conduct their campaign in a decent manner that would strengthen the unity in the Party after the primaries.
“We are expecting a very decent campaign,” he said, adding, “As for the NDC, we don’t do our things anyhow. We are a very decent Party, so, I expect a very decent campaign from the candidates,” he emphasised.
The Ablekuma West Constituency has been a keenly contested seat since it was carved out of the then Ablekuma South Constituency in 2012.
The NDC is yet to win the seat since it did so in 2008 under the then Ablekuma South Constituency, with the New Patriotic Party (NPP), winning the last three elections (2012, 2016 and 2020).
In 2020 for instance, the NDC’s candidate, Rev Kweku Addo lost to the current MP, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful by over 6,500 votes.
He polled 30, 733 votes, representing 44.6 per cent, while Mrs Owusu-Ekuful polled 37,363 votes, representing 54.3 per cent.
Mr Ahoto, however, was optimistic of the NDC’s chances ahead of the 2024 elections.
He said: “I have a principle that there is nothing that is impossible,” he said, adding that “determination and being focus, perseverance, can change the impossible to possible so, for me, looking at what we have done so far, from 2012 if you look at the figures, 2012 we had barely three months or four months for that election but we put up a very spirited performance, one of our best performances since the constituency was created in 2012.”
“2016 was very bad because we retrogressed, but we bounced back somehow in 2020, if you look at the figures. We performed far better. So, it’s our hope and prayer that with just a little push and focus, we can get there, there is no two ways about that, so it is winnable” he added.
Mr Ahoto emphasised the need for the parliamentary hopefuls and their supporters, as well as other members within the constituency to prioritise the interest of the Party over individual ambitions to ensure victory in 2024.
GNA