The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti region appears not interested in investing huge party resources in campaign activities of the party ahead of the 7th Parliamentary and President Election.
In the 2016 general elections the NPP made significant gains in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) dominated Asawase constituency with Parliamentary candidate Alidu Siedu Mohammed.
The NPP’s candidate Alidu Seidu Mohammed secured 33,490 representing 45.9% against the NDC candidate Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed who had 39,095 representing 53% votes.
This outstanding performance of the party gave the NPP bragging rights and marshal adequate resources in the constituency which made their number one prime target in the elections 2020 and therefore, appointed Candidate Alidu Siedu as municipal Chief Executive for the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly.
The appointed sort to keep his popularity alive in at constituency to achieve the party’s target of snatching the NDC’s bragging Asawase constituency parliamentary and attempt to weaken the party in their stronghold.
During the party’s parliamentary elections the Ashanti regional executives with the Support of the National executive prevented Manaf Ibrahim Political aide to Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia from contesting the primary to enable Alidu Siedu to contest the primary as unopposed.
The young man who rejected advice from the party’s management to stop the contest proceeded to court and secured an injection against the constituency election of Alidu as Parliamentary candidate by popular acclamation.
The Ashanti regional Chairman of the party Bernard Antwi Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi administration disregarded the court injunction and went ahead to declare Alidu Seidu Mohammed as the party’s parliamentary candidate for the Asawase constituency for the 2020 election.
The then Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly Chief executive who doubled as head of security for the municipality became a threat to the incumbent MP for the constituency Muntaka Mohammed.
The ruling party pumped resources into the constituency campaign activities hoping the party was in the better position to win the parliamentary election hands down.
Unfortunately after the elections, the NPP had their worst defeat as their well projected candidate Alidu Seidu lost to experienced Muntaka Mohammed by 61,659 representing 66.36% as against NPP’s candidate Alidu Seidu votes of 31,256 representing 33%.
This unfortunate discouraging defeat the party suffered in the elections 2020 has killed the party’s interest in pumping their resources into the constituency that they are sure that they will never win the 2024 general election.
Speaking to www.kumasimail.com a member of the party’s regional executives disclosed the party “will not waste its resources in the Asawase constituency, we invested huge in the constituency prior to the 2020 elections the results didn’t reflect the investment with the investments we made. Asawase is not a priority to us. we will try to make gains there for Dr. Bawumia. That’s our strategy, nothing more’’ he said.
Another member of the elections committee with the party’s identifying groups also said” the party’s target is on the Sekyere Afram plains constituency. When we put much effort on Droboso we are most likely to win that seat and New Edubiase constituency’’ he also disclosed.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
