Politics
I’m not forming my own party; I remain with NDC – Duffuor
Dr Kwabena Duffuor has dismissed rumours that he is quitting the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to form his own political.
The former Finance Minister who withdrew from the party’s presidential primaries that took place over the weekend said the NDC is his home.
“The NDC belongs to us and we have a charge to keep its flame burning. So let us get to work.
“When I joined the race for the flagbearership of the National Democratic Congress, I was motivated by a desire to see our party thrive as the political party of choice for every Ghanaian,” he said in a statement.
below is his full statement…
I have become aware of some concerns from the rank and file of the NDC, that I intend to leave the NDC to form another party. I wish to state that I have no such intentions and remain committed to the NDC as I have always been.
The NDC is my home as it is for us all and I will always remain loyal to our party. Let us come together towards the cause of victory for our party and progress for our nation.
The NDC belongs to us and we have a charge to keep its flame burning. So let us get to work.
When I joined the race for the flagbearership of the National Democratic Congress, I was motivated by a desire to see our party thrive as the political party of choice for every Ghanaian.
Today, that motivation remains unchanged. Like many before me, I understand that the collective good of our party overrides our personal goals and desires. The internal contest of ideas we engage in is simply a means to a common end – to build upon the hardwon legacy we have come to meet. But if there is anything more I have gained from this period, it is a deepening of my love for this great party from the stories of people I was privileged to meet on the campaign trail. As such, I remain committed towards the cause of the NDC as I have in times past, for as long as our quest for a better Ghana endures.
As Ghana’s leading opposition party, the Ghanaian people are looking up to us to deliver the much needed political change this country needs. This would require us to upscale our vigilance and insist that the right democratic processes are followed before and during the 2024 elections.
It was in the spirit of this that I insisted that we address the challenges that were fraught with our voters register and photo album, which resulted in my withdrawal from the presidential race.
If we are to succeed as a party in reaching our political goals, we cannot afford to compromise on our founding ideals of probity and accountability.
Those virtues are the torch which guides our party and gives purpose to all we do. Without them, we will lose our identity and our ability to hold others accountable in similar circumstances.
As part of my contribution to the party’s reorganisation agenda, I launched the Ahotor Project to strengthen our grassroots and ensure they are financially independent and can work effectively ahead of election 2024. I remain committed to the continuity of this project and look forward to more of such engagements with our party base.
The story of the NDC is a story of ordinary people coming together to challenge broken systems of cronyism. It is a story underscored by a movement of Ghanaians, resolute in building a country where they could all belong.
These origins cannot be taken for granted. In a time of widening inequality and economic despair, we must set the pace for collective development. We are who we are because of the strength of our roots and must continue to build the NDC from the ground up. It is the key to our future and the engine of the Ghanaian Dream.
God bless the NDC and our nation Ghana and make her great and strong.
Politics
We control one-third of NPP; No major decision can be taken without consulting us – Ken Agyapong
Assin Central Member of Parliament Kennedy Agyapong says his performance at the just-ended New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primary shows that he is a force to be reckoned with and that no major decision can be taken by the party without consulting him.
Mr. Agyapong made the comments on Saturday, November 11, during a “Showdown” Thanksgiving party organized for his supporters and coordinators during the NPP presidential primary campaign.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia won the presidential primary with 118,210 votes, representing 61.47%, while his closest contender, Mr Agyapong, polled 71,996 votes, representing 37.41%.
Speaking at the party, Mr Agyapong thanked his campaign team and said that he was “underestimated” ahead of the primary.
“They underestimated us, but we’ve proven to them that we now control one-third of the NPP,” Mr. Agyapong said. “No major decision will be taken without consulting us.”
Mr. Agyapong added that he had been underestimated by many, including a pastor who predicted that his best performance would be 16%.
“There was this pastor who even said if I get more than 16 percent, he [pastor] should be killed,” Mr. Agyapong said. “But today, I am praying for that pastor, that God should grant him long life and he should not die soon.”
The showdown Thanksgiving party brought together in Accra all coordinators of Mr. Agyapong from every region in Ghana.
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has been elected to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Election 2024 as flagbearer.
It had been predicted Bawumia was going to win with a larger margin but as promised, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong gave him a “showdown”.
Ken Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central came second with 37.41%.
Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto came third with 0.76% while Francis Addai Nimoh was last with 0.41%.
The Institute of Research Innovation & Development at Kumasi Technical University, in its latest poll, has disclosed that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia stands a greater chance of winning the upcoming New Patritoc Party (NPP) flagbearer race as he will most likely secure an overwhelming victory in eight regions.
Ahead of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential primaries on Saturday, November 4, many researchers have tipped Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as leading the race, with Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong being his closest contender.
The latest to conduct a poll on the upcoming election is the Institute of Research Innovation & Development at Kumasi Technical University.
The director of the Institute, who is the lead researcher for the poll, Prof. Smart Sarpong, in an interview with Citi News, disclosed that 15,595 NPP delegates were engaged.
He noted that the key components considered among the four aspirants were who is the most unifying, who has the most visible leadership qualities, who is most likely to break the “8,” as well as non-policy factors such as religion and ethnicity were taken into account.
Prof. Smart Sarpong disclosed that 71.1% of the respondents said Dr. Bawumia has a higher chance of breaking the “8,” while 26.8% of them stated that Kennedy Agyapong stands a better chance of breaking the “8.” 1.8% and 0.3% chose Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto and Mr. Addai Nimo, respectively.
69.9% also described Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the most unifying, whereas 19.4% said Kennedy Agyapong is the most unifying. In terms of being the most unifying, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto had 8.5%, while Francis Addai Nimo had 2.2%.
In terms of being the aspirant with the most visible leadership qualities, 70.5% of the delegates engaged chose Dr. Bawumia, and 19.4% mentioned Mr. Kennedy Agyapong. 8.1% and 2.0% of the delegates chose Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto and Addai Nimo, respectively.
With respect to how religion or ethnocentrism can influence the choice of vote, 13.4% said religion would be taken into consideration, while 86.4% said they would not consider religion. 13.8% of the delegates said they would strongly consider ethnicity, while 86.2% said they would not consider one’s ethnic background before voting for them. 97.1% noted they would take into account the past record of each person before voting for them, while 2.9% said that factor would not be considered.
Out of the 16 regions and the one national headquarters, Prof. Smart Sarpong revealed that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has a commanding lead in eight (8) regions with an average of 81.9%.
“Out of these 17 clusters (the 16 regions and the NPP national headquarters), I see 8 of the clusters being already decided. The Vice President has taken a very good lead. Those regions include; North East, Northern region, Upper East and Upper West, Ashanti, Bono, Eastern, and Volta.”
Prof. Smart Sarpong further noted that their research predicts that the election would be open in five regions, as none of the aspirants has a clear lead.
He, however, noted that the work the aspirants put in a few days before the election could change the dynamics.
“It is 50/50 for any aspirant who works extra harder. Those 5 regions include the Western region, Savannah region, BonoEast region, the party headquarters, and Western North.”
The research also showed that Mr. Kennedy Agyapong could have a clear lead in four other regions if he works harder, as he is leading with an average of 49.6%.
“The following regions have the potential of going for Hon. Ken Ohene Agyapong. They are likely going to go for him. It doesn’t mean he should go to sleep on them. He should try and consolidate whatever gains he has in these four regions. So, Hon. Ken and the team, Oti region, Greater Accra region, Central region, and Ahafo region.”
Reacting to the latest poll, the spokesperson of the Kennedy Agyapong campaign team in the Ashanti region, William Kusi, insists that despite the research stating that their candidate is not strong enough in the Ashanti region, their own poll states otherwise.
“Our candidate, for instance, has combed the whole country, and we as a campaign team have also done a lot of work, especially in the Ashanti region. We have heard of the sponsored polls that have come out and are giving Dr. Bawumia the lead, but we disagree because on the ground, we are far ahead.
For instance, our internal polls suggest that we are going to have 75-80 percent support in the Ashanti region. So, when I heard of the polls from the one who always fails, Ben Ephson, for instance, I was like, what is happening? Smart Sarpong at the regional level did so well with his polls. It was accurate, but he is getting it wrong this time,” he said.
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