By Laudia Sawer
Kpone, May 8, GNA – Mr. Emmanuel Azubila Abdul-Salam, an aspirant in the upcoming National Democratic Congress (NDC) Kpone-Katamanso Constituency parliamentary primaries, has said the elections in the constituency have moved away from ethnic considerations.
He explained that the era, where delegates voted on ethnic lines had passed, making the contest open to all candidates irrespective of their ethnic background.
In reaction to political comments that suggested that Kpone-Katamanso has been voting for indigenes, the aspirant said the situation could go against his quest of become the parliamentary candidate for his party in the constituency for the 2024 elections.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Abdul Salam said apart from Kpone-on-sea, the rest of the constituency spanning Kokompe, Bediako, Gbetseley, Michel Camp, Katamanso, and
Community 25 and their environs were cosmopolitan in nature, and their register for the election also reflected the same.
He therefore advised delegates not to play the ethnicity card but rather look at the messages, track record, and capabilities to vote for him, as he had always been at the forefront of fighting for the rights of the people.
Mr. Abdul-Salam said that as the founder of the Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement-Ghana (ADAM-Ghana), a civil society organization, he led a series of demonstrations to call for better pay for the public sector workers by protesting the paltry four percent increment in their salaries.
He said he had strong grounding in the NDC in the constituency, as he had served as branch secretary and ward organizer for 14 years, adding that he also contested the Greater Accra Regional Deputy Secretary position and the Constituency Secretary in 2018.
He said although he lost those contests, he used them to market himself to the people in the constituency and region, making his name a household one.
He said he decided to wait thereafter until now, when he believed it was time to serve the people of Kpone-Katamanso, who need a voice that he alone could provide.
On why he was contesting the incumbent MP instead of giving him a second term, he explained that under the constitutions of Ghana’s and the NDC’s constitutions, all political positions, including that of the MP, become vacant every four years; therefore, any qualified person could contest and fill that vacancy.
He said that if elected as the candidate and, subsequently, the MP for the area, his major project would be women’s empowerment, explaining that giving women economic power would transcend to the whole community.
Mr. Abdul-Salam said he would pull strings to ensure that the area got a central multipurpose 2,000-store market to provide the needed jobs for the women, adding that currently, most of the women had to travel to Tema, Ashaiman, or Accra Central to trade due to the lack of such a facility.
He said as an engineer by profession, he would use his expertise to solve these problems, as he envisaged that such a facility would open up the constituency, as roads leading to the place would be constructed, and banks, financial institutions, and others would also take advantage to set up around to provide them with loans and other services, as such projects boost economic activities.
He acknowledged that the primary duty of an MP was to make laws, adding, however, that MPs must not use that as an excuse to neglect the needs of the people, and therefore promised to use the position to lobby the government, ministries, institutions, and individuals both locally and internationally to achieve his target of empowering the women of Kpone-Katamanso.
He called on the NDC delegates of Kpone-Katamanso to vote for him on May 13, 2023, to secure their future.
GNA