By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), April 04, GNA – All 30 aspirants who filed their nominations to contest the upcoming parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Upper West Region have been cleared after successfully going through the vetting process.
The vetting exercise, which was expected to commence at about 0900 on Monday, April 3, started at around 1100 and ended around 2300 hours.
Out of the 30 aspirants, Madam Jennifer Nanfuri, the only female, is contesting for the Jirapa Constituency slot against the incumbent Member of Parliament, Mr Cletus Dapilaah, and Mr Bright Salia.
A press statement signed by Mr Issah Kantagyere, the Upper West Regional Communications Officer of the NDC, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa, commended the aspirants and their supporters for exercising restraint to ensure a violence-free exercise.
Madam Abigail Elorm Mensah, Deputy National Women Organiser and member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) chaired the five-member vetting committee with Mohammed Alhassan also a NEC representative as a member.
Other members included Mr Abdul Nasir Saani, NDC Upper West Regional Chairman; Alhaji Nurah Issah Danwanaa, Deputy Regional Secretary and Hajia Bintu, Regional Council of Elders’ representative.
The statement entreated the aspirants to place the interest of the party ahead of their interests as winning all eleven seats in the region for the party come 2024 was paramount.
“It is a family affair, and we will all need each other collectively to achieve our target agenda of winning all 11 seats and also increase the votes for John Dramani Mahama come December 7, 2024, and this can only be achieved if and only if there is total unity among us,” it explained.
Speaking to the GNA after going through the vetting process, Mr Bede A. Ziedeng, the incumbent MP for the Lawra Constituency, expressed confidence that he would win the primaries overwhelmingly on May 13, 2023, considering his achievement in his first term in office.
“I am confident, absolutely confident that I am going to win this election because of what I have done in the constituency in the health sector, education, and water and sanitation,” Mr Ziedeng explained
He cited the rehabilitation and mechanisation of two water systems at Eremon and Dowmine Health Centres, the repairing of over 50 broken-down boreholes, donation of three heavy-duty air-conditioners to the cold room of the Lawra Municipal Health Directorate among others, as some achievements in his two years in parliament.
Mr Ziedeng said he had also supported about 220 students in the Constituency with part-payment of their school fees amounting to GHȻ250,000.00 and supported the Brifoh and Lawra Senior High School and the Eremon Senior High Technical School during their distress moments.
On his part, Mr Peter Lanchene Toobu, the incumbent MP for Wa West Constituency, also expressed confidence that the delegates would retain him to lead the party in the constituency into the 2024 general election.
Other aspirants who spoke to the GNA also expressed confidence in emerging victorious in the elections.
Out of the 30 aspirants, 22 are new entrants while the remaining eight aspirants are sitting MPs.
The Wa Central constituency had four aspirants; Nadowli-Kaleo, Daffiama-Bussie-Issa (DBI), Sissala West, and Nandom constituencies had two aspirants each; while Wa West, Wa East, Jirapa, Lawra, Lambussie, and Sissala West Constituencies had three aspirants each.
GNA