By Maxwell Awumah
Ho, April 12, GNA – A group describing itself as the Nkwanta North Young Democrats of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have declared their support for Mr Paul Levin Gyato, in the upcoming Parliamentary primaries in the Constituency.
A press statement signed and read by Mr Hussein Saddam, Spokesperson for the group in a release copied to the Ghana News Agency, said that available data shows that their political opponents may snatch the parliamentary seat, when the incumbent Member of Parliament, Mr John Kwabena Oti Bless, is retained as the candidate of the Constituency.
“It’s very obvious that, the NDC seat in Nkwanta North is no longer safe in the hands of our current MP.”
Mr Nalibe disclosed that the possibility of NDC losing the seat in the 2024 parliamentary elections was ‘very high’ based on data gathered by their research.
He alleged that considering the massive decline of vote margins in successive elections, and with the consultation with some key branch executives and stakeholders of the party, there was the need for a new face, as the only way the party could win and maintain the seat for the NDC in the 2024 parliamentary elections.
He said their data shows that any new face in the race may maintain the Parliamentary seat for the NDC with Mr Paul Levin Gyato, an aspirant and a pioneer District Chief Executive of Nkwanta North being the frontrunner.
Mr Oti Bless, Mr Paul Levin Gyato, Mr David Npoan, Mr.Nlaliban Ujanji and Mr Francis Bindipum are aspirants seeking the soul of the Nkwanta North seat slated for May 13, this year.
He said the Young Democrats have decided to come together to rescue the party from its dwindling fortunes indicating that the voting pattern continued to dip from an over 12,000 gap to only 1,601 between the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Specifically, he said in election 2012, the NDC garnered 21,659 votes (62. 104%) with the NPP obtaining 12,762 votes (36. 593%) with a gap of 8,897 (25. 511%).
Mr Nalibe said this gap was almost surrendered in the 2020 election, when the NDC only polled 24,470 votes (51. 690%) with the NPP closing in with 22,869 votes (48. 309%) leaving a gap of 1, 601 (3. 381%).
He said, “we can no longer gamble with these realities and the answer is to elect a new face to re-energise their base,” and called for massive votes from delegates for Mr Gyato.
Meanwhile, Mr Gyato in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said changing candidates was part of political discourse, He said incumbent MP has done his bit, “it is time to change for innovative ideas… fresh legs and new development.”
GNA