By Joyce Danso
Accra, April 11, GNA – A New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate hopeful for the Bekwai constituency in the Ashanti Region, Ralph Poku-Adusei has presented 5,000 improved clean cooking stoves to his constituents in the Bekwai district.
The gesture of the Bekwai indigene and a distinguished lawyer, Mr. Ralph Poku-Adusei also formed part of his efforts to help reduce Charcoal consumption in Bekwai and in Ghana at large and to mark his 41st Birthday.
Ghana Energy Commission Statistics indicates that over 75 per cent of Ghanaians rely on Charcoal/Firewood as their primary source of cooking fuel.
Accra and Kumasi, which are the most populated urban centers in Ghana, account for 57 per cent of all charcoal consumed in the country.
Out of the 5,000 units, 1,000 would be given to NPP Bekwai constituency delegates (who are about 986) under Lawyer Ralph Poku-Adusei’s flagship programme known as the “Delegates Welfare Initiative” (DWI).
The lawyer said the gesture was a way of giving back to his constituents.
Mr. Alex Arko Addai Darkwa, Bekwai Chairman of the NPP who received the items for onward distribution commended the lawyer for the units of stoves.
The New Patriotic Party, in a press release dated April 3, 2023, and signed by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, announced that the National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Council of the party had approved the timelines for holding presidential and parliamentary primaries of the Party for the 2024 elections.
According to the statement, the party would open nominations for its presidential primaries on May 26, 2023 and close same on June 24, 2023.
In the event that there are more than 5 applicants, the party will hold a “Special Electoral College Elections” (Super Delegates Conference) on August 26, 2023.
The National Congress to elect a flagbearer will be held on November 4, 2023.
In the same release, the NPP also indicated that nominations for parliamentary primaries in orphan constituencies will open on June 16, 2023, and close on July 14, 2023. The elections will subsequently be held form Tuesday August 1, to Saturday December 2, 2023.
On constituencies, where the party has sitting members of Parliament, the NPP said it would open nominations on Wednesday December 20, 2023, and close same on Thursday January 4, 2024. The elections would then be held on Saturday February 24, 2024.
Mr Poku-Adusei is expected to pick his forms as soon as the nominations open for the Bekwai constituency, which currently has Joseph Osei Owusu, the first Deputy speaker of Parliament as the sitting MP.
The National Council of the NPP as part of measures to ensure that it brings some sanity to the party’s parliamentary primaries, has barred National, Regional, and Constituency Party Executives as well as all MMDCEs from contesting in Constituencies where the Party has sitting Members of Parliament.
GNA