By Caesar Abagali
Wa, Dec. 12, GNA – Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, a former member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said that there is nothing to stop him from backing Alan Kyerematen to become the next President.
He expressed his excitement that he and other colleagues were not sacked from the NPP with disgrace, which had placed them better to work harder to achieve their aim.
He said if they were sacked for wrong doing as office holders they would have been worried saying, “We are happy about turn of events and we shall work hard to achieve the reason we were sacked”
He claimed that there were a lot of prominent people in the party protesting certain actions in silence and that such people would make Alan Kyerematen first Independent President of Ghana.
He said he had achieved a lot in his political career both as an Independent MP and as a member of the NPP and that he would not allow people in NPP to stop his vision of supporting Alan Kyerematen.
Alhaji Boniface who speaks publicly for the first time since he had been sacked from the NPP reaffirmed his decision to back Alan Kyerematen to victory.
Alhaji Boniface was speaking to the GNA in an interview over his sacking from the NPP for supporting Alan Kyerematen who resigned from the NPP to form a Movement.
He said politics was about numbers and that all his followers and sympathisers had also been technically sacked from the party and were ready to galvanise support to make Alan Kyerematen the next president.
“I am not worried that I’ve been sacked from the NPP. I’ve only been reminded to go back to my roots to work independently and I would do just that but those who think politics is not about numbers should tickle themselves and laugh”, he said.
“I first contested as an Independent candidate in Salaga where I defeated both NDC and NPP to represent the constituency in Parliament and NPP begged me to join them to get a numerical strength in Parliament”, he explained.
He said he also contested on the ticket of the NPP in 2004 in same constituency and won and moved to the Madina constituency to also win the seat for NPP, making him to follow Ken Dzirasah’s footsteps in achieving that in the fourth Republic.
He said by dint of hard work and humility, he was first appointed as Deputy minister of Trade and Industry and later reshuffled to then Ministry of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City as deputy.
He was appointed substantive Northern Regional Minister where he was instrumental in the burial of Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II and the enskinment of a regent, a feat making the NPP to chalk and bringing peace to Dagbon”.
He said he was also appointed minister of Labour and Manpower where he rolled out the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), now Youth Employment Agency (YEA).
“I also worked as a minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing and such credentials can not be swept under the carpet.
What NPP is doing now, is not the same NPP I opted to join in 2001 as an Independent MP in Parliament. That is the reason me and many others opted to join the new Movement for Change”, he said.
“There is a saying that if the storm is blowing and stubborn trees fail or refuse to bow, will end up being uprooted”.
“I have served with distinction in five Ministries under former President Kufuor who I am highly indebted to and I will continue to worship him, who I am sure many Ghanaians have missed his style of governance”, he said.
“I have also worked in two Ministries under this government and all those who worked with me will testify, and such vast experience will be used to work for Alan”, he emphasized.
“I must also add that before joining mainstream politics, I had worked in the Ministry of Finance for 14 years and therefore paid my dues to Ghana and NPP”, he said.
He said he would note the date he was sacked from the NPP and celebrate it annually to serve as a reminder that his service to the party was not appreciated by some people.
On a flyer circulating on social media about him contesting in Madina on the ticket of the New Movement for Change, Alhaji Boniface asked the public to ignore the poster.
He explained that there were many high profile people both in NPP and NDC who lobbying to contest under the ticket of the Movement in various constituencies including Madina.
He appealed to all sympathisers of Mr Alan Kyerematen to unite, and draw more followers to vote for the Movement to form the next government in 2025.
Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface is a political giant in the Fourth Republic having won in the Salaga constituency as an Independent candidate in the 2000 elections and won.
He also stood as Parliamentary candidate on the ticket of the NPP in same constituency and won and was always referred to as “Political Maradona”.
Alhaji Boniface moved to the Madina constituency and contested on the ticket of the NPP and won, making him one of the few to have won in two different constituencies in two different regions in the fourth Republic.
GNA