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V/R: Adaklu District Assembly expands school infrastructure ahead of re-opening

Ellis Ferdinand
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V/R: Adaklu District Assembly expands school infrastructure ahead of re-opening

The Adaklu District Assembly has begun the expansion of the school infrastructure ahead of the re-opening of schools to contain the growing number of pupils and students in the various schools across the district.

Currently, the Gbekor senior high school, one of Mahama’s Community Day schools is undergoing a number of expansion works, including a 600 capacity boys dormitory and another 500 capacity girls dormitory facility, which are due for completion by the end of June.

The new dormitories according to the DCE for Adaklu, Phanuel Kade Donkor is line with a decision to convert the school into a boarding status in anticipation of the September 2020 admissions under government’s Free Senior High School policy.

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Boy’s dormitory under construction

He said, “in actual fact, we inherited this project from the previous administration but we thought it wise to add a boarding facility; and so, we are doing this through a support from the government of Ghana, Getfund and the District Assembly.

He added that, “we are doing this in anticipation for the arrival of the September admission of students under government’s Free SHS policy.”

The Gbekor senior high school, formerly known as Adaklu-Aboadi-Trefe senior high school currently has a little over 100 students but that number is expected to shoot up in the coming years starting from September this year.

In addition, the District Assembly has began the distribution of some 508 dual desk to selected schools across the district to improve upon the teaching and learning activities in the schools.

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Gbekor SHS girl’s dormitory due for handing ove

Presenting the desks, the District Chief Executive said, “Education is one of government’s topmost priorities and it is in line with this agenda that the Assembly was compelled to invest the total grant of GH₵ 127,079.00 into education, following our qualification under the District Performance Appraisal Tool 2016 (DPAT I).”

He said the 508 desks which would seat 1016 pupils is just a first step to addressing the over 5000 furniture deficit in schools.

He hinted that another badge of 600 dual desks would be provided by October, 2020 beside mono desks and kindergarten furniture.

Receiving the desks on behalf of the Education Directorate and schools on Wednesday, 10 June, 2020 the District Director of Education, Mr. Francis Yao Agbemadi was grateful for the immense and continuous
support the directorate is enjoying from the Assembly, while adding that, “furniture plays an important role in efficient and effective teaching and learning.”

He stated that the desks would be immediately distributed to the eleven schools earmarked for the distribution.

He assured that the directorate would work with heads of the receiving schools to ensure that the furniture is well maintained.

Check This Out:   NPP Decides: Akim Oda delegates reject MP’s fridge, TV, GHC5,000 offer

Meanwhile, the District Assembly has completed a six-unit classroom block facility for the Adaklu Waya EP Primary school to reduce the growing congestion in the existing classrooms.

Currently, the old classroom blocks accommodate 70 pupils against its capacity of 40 pupils but the new classroom block has come in hand to help decongest the classes.

Mr. Phanuel Donkor Kadey indicated he was glad that a lot of effort was being made to improve education delivery particularly in the area of infrastructure among many other
projects which are ongoing within the district including another 6-Unit classroom blocks at Adaklu Anfoe.

Though basic schools remain shut amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the provision of adequate infrastructure remains the topmost priority of the Adaklu District.

Source: Starrfm.com.gh

NPP Decides: Akim Oda delegates reject MP’s fridge, TV, GHC5,000 offer

Ellis Ferdinand
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NPP Decides: Akim Oda delegates reject MP’s fridge, TV, GHC5,000 offer

The NPP Primaries in the Akim Oda Constituency has been hit with allegations of vote buying.

According to a report by Peace FM, the incumbent member of parliament, William Agyapong Quaittoo is said to be having a hard time convincing delegates to accept some goodies he is offering for their votes.

The Member of Parliament is said to be offering each delegate a flat screen TV, a fridge and an amount of GHC5,000.

However, the act is reported to have infuriated the delegates as this is the first time the member of parliament who is seeking a third term has gone out of his way to give them such an offer.

According to the delegates, the MP in his first and second attempts when he had minimal competition gave them GHC50 and GHC150 respectively.

The delegates are, therefore, reported to be throwing their support behind the MP’s opponents, some of whom have called on them to shun money and other form of inducements since the position of an MP is more about seeking the development and welfare of constituents.

The New Patriotic Party is today, June 20, 2020, holding parliamentary primaries in some 101 constituencies across the country. Polls opened at 7:00 am and is expected to close at 1:00 pm.

The Akim Oda contest is being battled out by Mr William Quaitoo who is facing Mr Alexander Akwasi Acquah, a journalist and the Chief Executive Officer of Community Hospitals Group, Mr Richard Asante Bediako, an Accra-based businessman and Mr Edward Kwaku Aboagye, a Financial Accountant.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

NPP Primaries: Blows, slaps fly as Okyem Aboagye’s agent prevents Bantama Treasurer from voting

Ellis Ferdinand
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NPP Primaries: Blows, slaps fly as Okyem Aboagye’s agent prevents Bantama Treasurer from voting

In a live report monitored by GhanaWeb, the Ashanti Regional correspondent of Despite Media Group, Sampson k. Nyamekye has reported that voting was briefly disrupted at the Bantama Cultural Centre when an agent sought to prevent a delegate from casting his ballot.

According to the report, the agent representing current Member of Parliament for the Constituency, Daniel Okyem Aboagye prevented the Constituency Treasurer from voting on the grounds that his status as an official of the Foreign Affairs ministry does not qualify him to vote, even though his name was found in the album being used for the election.

He adds that the situation led to a scuffle that witnessed some blows and slaps being dished out at the polling station.

The reporter, however, indicated that security personnel in the constituency were quick to resolve the situation which could have escalated allowing the treasurer to finally cast his ballot.

Check This Out:NPP Primaries:170 “fake delegates” expunged from register in New Juaben

Speaking on the situation, former Member of Parliament of the Constituency, Henry Kwabena Kokofu in an interview with the Peace FM reporter alleged that some ‘macho men’ whose presence around the polling station seems to be intimidating delegates is the machination of the current member of parliament.

Mr okyem Aboagye is facing stiff competition from Deputy Chief of Staff, Francis Asenso Boakye in the competition for the party’s parliamentary candidature in the upcoming December general elections.

The New Patriotic Party is today, June 20, 2020 holding parliamentary primaries in some 101 constituencies across the country. Polls opened at 7:00 am and is expected to close at 1:00 pm.

 

JUST IN: Mahama denies wrongdoing in Airbus scandal

Ellis Ferdinand
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JUST IN: Mahama denies wrongdoing in Airbus scandal

Former President John Dramani Mahama has broken his silence on the Airbus scandal by dismissing allegations of wrongdoing in the purchase of the two aircraft for the Ghana Armed Forces.

He has also denied benefiting from the deal financially.

Exclusive interview

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, Mr Mahama declared: “Let me state without any equivocation that no financial benefit accrued to me. Neither was there any form of inducement in the purchase of the aircraft. My singular motivation was to equip and retool the Ghana Armed Forces in a manner that would make the discharge of their national and international roles efficient and less burdensome and for all the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform make, they do not deserve less”.

“I am happy that the said aircraft have become the backbone of the Ghana Air Force and its operations. They are used for troop transportation, logistics deployment and medical evacuation,” he stated.

He said he felt fulfilled that as Vice-President and later as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, his “overarching desire to ensure that our men and women in uniform were provided with the tools and equipment they needed to fulfil their constitutional mandate of ensuring public safety, security and protecting the territorial integrity of our nation were reasonably met”.

“I am proud that under my tenure as Chairman of the Armed Forces Council and as Commander-in-Chief, the security services saw the biggest retooling and equipping in the history of Ghana.”

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Background

The said aircraft were purchased for the military when Mr. Mahama was the Vice-President and Chairman of both the Armed Forces Council and the Policy Council.

Giving a background for the purchase of the two aircraft, Mr Mahama said as Vice-President between January 7, 2009, and July 24, 2012, he was assigned responsibility for the Ghana Armed Forces Council and the Police Council by the then President John Evans Atta Mills, who retained the Chairmanship of the National Security Council.

Mr Mahama explained that at the time of the acquisition of the aircraft and other equipment, Ghana’s security services required retooling.

“The Police Service had an aging fleet of Peugeot and Mahindra vehicles, the Ghana Navy had no vessel with which to patrol our coastal waters, the Ghana Air Force had only one functional 37-year-old F27 aircraft, which was still flying, only because of the ingenuity of our aeronautical engineers,” he said.

Mr Mahama said the Infantry Brigade of the Ghana Army relied on old Dongfeng trucks and a fleet of smoking pick-up vehicles, the Prisons Service, the Ghana Immigration Service, and the National Security Council Secretariat were virtually immobile due to lack of equipment.”

Processes

“All the processes and negotiations by the government in the acquisition of the aircraft were conducted directly with Airbus and my administration without any untoward influence either directly or indirectly through any agents it may have appointed. Indeed, nowhere in the available UK Court Documents has it been said that Airbus paid any public or government official on the side for the purchase of the aircraft,” he stated.

Mr Mahama said all decisions for the acquisition were conducted by a very competent team at the military headquarters.

“Some of our gallant and highly efficient officers who composed the technical team are still in active service in the military and I reject any idea that they have arrived at their decisions through inducement or coercion by any person,” Mr Mahama said.

Re-equip

Mr Mahama said a plan to re-equip the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service was submitted to, and approved by then-President Mills.

“It involved the acquisition of naval ships, aircraft, vehicles, arms and ammunition, safety equipment, field equipment, and expanding accommodation units,” he stated.

Former President Mahama indicated that at the time he took office as Vice-President in 2009, the military was already considering the acquisition of two C27J aircraft, but the quoted price, (above $40 million per unit) was considered high.

“Eventually, the military settled on two C295 aircraft at a cost of about $24 million each, bringing the cost of the two aircraft to about $48 million,” he emphasized.

Matters

Former President Mahama explained that the Airbus matter was an issue between the Airbus company and its representatives who were found to be in breach of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rules.

“This is clearly and unambiguously stated in all the available documents of the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO). It has nothing to do with the government of Ghana or with any official of the government. To state otherwise is to misrepresent the conclusions of the SFO report and spread deliberate falsehood.

Long silence

Asked why he did not comment on the issue at the time the news broke, Mr Mahama said he had been reluctant to personally comment on the various allegations made in respect of the acquisition of the aircraft except for the official reactions of his staff and former government officials.

“I recognised that it was the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in Ghana, following the almost immediate referral to that body by the President,” he said.

When asked if the Office of the Special Prosecutor had reached out to him on its investigations, he answered in the negative.

He said recent events, however, had brought him to the realisation that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his administration were not interested in the issue as a matter of good faith, but rather they were determined to use it to further their political interests.

Corruption issues

Mr Mahama served notice that since the NPP had made the issue of corruption a major item of debate in the lead-up to the 2020 elections, he had accepted the challenge.

“I intend to address all the allegations of corruption made against me over the years, and I will also take on fully, Nana Akufo-Addo on his own record of corruption,” he stated.

NPP Primaries:170 “fake delegates” expunged from register in New Juaben

Ellis Ferdinand
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1
NPP Primaries:170 “fake delegates” expunged from register in New Juaben

One Hundred and Seventy (170) alleged fake delegates from 34 non-existing polling stations have been expunged from the Constituency photo album to be used for the New Juaben South Parliamentary Primaries of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP).

It follows a petition by Dr Mark Assibey Yeboah – incumbent Member of Parliament dated June 12, 2020, addressed to the General Secretary of the NPP John Boadu and copied to the National Chairman Freddie Blay, National Election Committee (NEC), all members of NEC and the Majority leader of the governing party that the photo album/Register had been tampered with hence the need to protect its sanctity.

The MP who is Chairman of the Finance Committee in Parliament said, the party has clearly stated that “The photo album/register which was used to elect the constituency executive in February 2018 shall be the same album which shall be made available to the National Parliamentary Vetting Committee (NPVC) and the Electoral Commission of Ghana for the conduct of the parliamentary primaries,” but the MP argued in the petition that, that provision was being violated with the creation of new album containing strange names.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, spokesperson for the Campaign team of the Lawmaker, Kwabena Boateng said although the 170 names smuggled into the register have been expunged, there are some 10 more names being contested in the album which the attention of the election committee has been drawn to.

He said the election may be marred by legal action if these names are not removed from the register.

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Dr Assibey-Yeboah is slugging it out with Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Free Zones Board, Michael Okyere Baafi in NPP’s upcoming primaries slated on Saturday, June 20, 2020.

Meanwhile, the Campaign team of Dr Assibey Yeboah has objected to the appointment of the Eastern Regional First Vice Chairman of the party to be part of three appointed top party officials to supervise the election.

The Regional First Vice Chairman, Alhaji Umar Bodinga has on several platforms declared his support for Michael Okyere Baafi Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Free Zones Authority.

Alhaji Bodinga recused himself during the vetting of aspirants due to his bias stance therefore the Campaign team of Dr Assibey Yeboah finds it strange that he has resurfaced and opted to supervise the Parliamentary primary.

 

Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh

JUST IN: Peace FM’s Nana Agyei Sikapa is dead

Ellis Ferdinand
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JUST IN: Peace FM’s Nana Agyei Sikapa is dead

The seasoned newscaster joined the Despite Media from the Garden city radio in Kumasi in 2003. According to a report by peacefmonline.com, he died after a short illness at the Ridge hospital.

This is coming after Kwadwo Wiafe’s death, a presenter with Neat FM who also passed on about 2 weeks ago. Nana Agyei hosted varieties of radio programmes like Wubu B3 A Me Nso Me Teb3 and Wugyidie Ne S3n on Peace 104.3 Fm every Sundays, exactly 8 pm.

Before his demise, the proverbial gem also hosted a cultural program called “Tete” where he educates his listeners about the rich Ghanaian culture which is being submerged by new ways of doing things in this era of social media.

Supreme Court adjourns judgment of NDC, EC case indefinitely

Ellis Ferdinand
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Supreme Court adjourns judgment of NDC, EC case indefinitely

A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice, Kwesi Anin Yeboah has indefinitely adjourned the judgment of the case in which the National Democratic Congress dragged the Electoral Commission to court over its decision not include the existing voters’ register as a requirement in compiling the new voters’ register.

The judgment was initially scheduled for Tuesday, 23 June but Starr News’ Court correspondent Mutalla Inusah reports that the apex court has now adjourned the judgment indefinitely.

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This was after the Supreme Court on Friday heard a similar case and granted the request by the Attorney General to have the two cases consolidated.

The application by one Mark Takyi-Benson against the EC was subsequently consolidated.

The applicant and his lawyers have been asked to file their statement of case by 12:00noon on Monday, June 22.

The court also ordered the AG to file their statement of case also by Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

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The parties are to return to court on Wednesday, June 24, for hearing.

The opposition NDC argues that a new voter’s register will deprive many Ghanaians the right to vote in the polls if the existing voters’ ID card is rejected a claim the EC disagrees with.

The party has argued in its suit that the EC lacks the power to go ahead with its plans because it can only “compile a register of voters only once, and thereafter revise it periodically, as may be determined by law”.

 

Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh

EC pilots BVRs ahead of June 30 registration exercise

Ellis Ferdinand
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EC pilots BVRs ahead of June 30 registration exercise

The Electoral Commission (EC) on Thursday, June 18, piloted the new Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits it had procured for the mass registration of voters for the December 7, 2020 general election, with an assurance that no eligible Ghanaian will be disenfranchised.

The Director of Elections at the Commission, Dr Serebour Quarcoo, who gave the assurance, said minor challenges associated with the BVR kits had been identified and that they would be fixed to guarantee a smooth registration exercise.

He, however, said the EC had not taken delivery of all the BVRs and that the full component of the kits would be ready before the registration exercise.

“Some of the BVR kits were brought into the country less than a month now so we want to try them and have a feel of how the system will work. For the main registration exercise, we expect 8,500 BVR kits, but not all of them are in the country now. By the time we start the exercise, we hope that all of them would have arrived,” the director added.

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Pilot registration

As at about 8:30 a.m. yesterday, officials of the EC had set up the Accra Ridge Church in readiness for the pilot exercise.

And in compliance with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) safety protocols, chairs were arranged at least two metres apart.

Some officials of the EC also positioned themselves at various entry points to the venue to ensure that patrons washed their hands and used hand sanitizers before they were allowed into demarcated areas.

lg.php?bannerid=154&campaignid=15&zoneid=15&loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphic.com.gh%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fec pilots bvrs ahead of june 30 registration

They also ensured that everyone on the church premises wore a nose mask.

Patrons

The Chairperson of the EC, Mrs. Jean Mensa, was at the center to monitor the exercise. Some political actors, the clergy and civil society organizations (CSOs) also participated in the exercise.

Check This Out: NPP to acclaim Akufo-Addo as flagbearer for Election 2020 June 27

Key among them were the Campaign Manager of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the 2020 elections, Mr Peter Mac Manu; the Director of Information Technology (IT) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Osei Kwame Griffiths; the Founder of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Mr Kofi Akpaloo; the General Secretary of the All People’s Congress (APC), Mr Mordecai Thiombiano; and an Independent candidate in the 2016 election, Mr Joseph Osei Yeboah.

A former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa (ACAA), Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, also participated in the exercise.

Mixed reactions

After going through the processes, Mr Mac Manu said he was confident that the EC would compile a credible register.

For his part, Mr Griffiths said the exercise was fraught with challenges that gave the indication that the EC would not be able to register all eligible voters and compile a credible register before the December 7 elections.

He said an analysis of the pilot registration at the regional and national levels showed that the 38 days set aside by the EC for the mass registration exercise would lead to congestion that could disenfranchise many Ghanaians.

Process

Dr. Quarcoo said it would take a prospective voter 15 minutes to complete registration and receive a card; however, a person could spend more time if he delayed in providing the needed information to registration officers.

He said the commission had also deepened engagements with the National COVID-19 Response Team and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to ensure that protocols and safety measures were put in place at registration centers.

 

Source: Graphic Online

I will build and deploy a new hospital ship if elected – Mahama

Ellis Ferdinand
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I will build and deploy a new hospital ship if elected – Mahama

Former President John Mahama is intensifying his campaign for a comeback in 2021 with a promise to build a hospital ship to improve healthcare delivery if elected on December 7, 2020.

“We will build a new Onipa Nua Hospital Ship and deploy it to provide medical services to the inaccessible riverine and fishing communities on the inland Volta waterways,” Mr Mahama said.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate made the promise on Thursday, June 18, 2020, during one of his Facebook Live sessions.

He made the promise to build and deploy the hospital ship after criticizing President Nana Akufo-Addo for abandoning some of his innovative policies that were aimed at improving healthcare delivery in the country.

He blamed the current administration for abandoning the Onua Do Mobile Vans that his administration introduced in 2015.

“These were vans meant to provide medical outreach services…in underserved and hard to reach areas of the country. But the vans have been left at the vagaries of the weather,” he stated.

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He said the vans were designed to deliver specialized services in ophthalmology, dentistry, mammograms and general medicine by visiting rural and far-to-reach communities of the country but they have not been put to that use since he left office.

He said since the Akufo-Addo government has deliberately abandoned the specialized vans at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

He, therefore, promised to rehabilitate these dilapidated mobile clinics and expand the number to care for all 16 regions of the country to enable government “take healthcare to the doorsteps of all our people, even in the remotest parts of our country”.

 

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

NPP to acclaim Akufo-Addo as flagbearer for Election 2020 June 27

Ellis Ferdinand
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NPP to acclaim Akufo-Addo as flagbearer for Election 2020 June 27

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has planned to acclaim President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as its flagbearer for Election 2020 on June 27, 2020.

The General Secretary of the NPP, Mr John Boadu announced this in a statement Thursday afternoon.

Already, President Akufo-Addo has decided and announced his intention to run the elections with the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as his running mate.

President Akufo-Addo was the only person who filed to contest the flagbearer slot of the NPP for Election 2020 when the party opened nominations.

Subsequently, the National Council of the party resolved to endorse his candidacy via acclamation.

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It would, therefore, be done together with his Running Mate at a special National Council meeting of the Party to be held in Accra with the media and relevant stakeholders in attendance.

The leading opposition political party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has already settled on former President John Dramani Mahama as its flagbearer for Election 2020.

Mr Mahama is yet to select his running mate.

Below is a copy of the statement

NPP TO ACCLAIM H.E. NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO ON JUNE 27, AS THE PARTY’S 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, AND TO HOLD PARLIAMENTARY PRIMARIES IN THREE OUTSTANDING CONSTITUENCIES

The NPP will, on Saturday, June 27, 2020, acclaim the sole Candidate who filed his nomination to contest in the 2020 Presidential Primaries, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as the Party’s Presidential Candidate.

The acclamation of the Presidential Candidate together with his Running Mate will be done at a special National Council meeting of the Party to be held in Accra with the media and relevant stakeholders in attendance.

The Party equally resolved to hold Parliamentary Primaries in Gushegu, Dormaa Central and Kwadaso Constituencies in line with the decision of the Party’s National Executive Committee as follows:

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With the Gushegu Constituency, the Party, after extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, has, in line with Article 12 of the NPP Constitution, selected Mr. Hassan Tampuli as its Parliamentary Candidate for the Constituency. This follows the decision of the two aspiring Candidates, Hon. Iddi Ziblim and Osman Mahama, to withdraw from the parliamentary contest.

In Dormaa Constituency, the incumbent Member of Parliament and Minister for Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyemang Manu, shall contest in the Primaries as an Unopposed Candidate following the decision of his sole contender, Dr Yao Yeboah to withdraw from the contest after the implementation of a successful roadmap.

Primaries in the Kwadaso Constituency shall be held on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 following an amicable resolution of the issues regarding the Constituency Album.

The Party wishes to use this occasion to commend all the aspiring Candidates who graciously withdrew from the contest and respected the Party’s decision.

…Signed…

John Boadu
General Secretary

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