The Upper East Regional minister Tangoba Abayage has sent a firm indication to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to dream of winning the Navrongo Central Parliamentary seat in the 2020 general elections.
Out of a total of fifteen parliamentary seats in the Upper East Region, the opposition NDC has the largest number of twelve seats, with the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) having only three seats – Navrongo Central, Zebilla, and Tempane.
After the NDC successfully held its parliamentary primaries last Saturday, the party’s Upper East Regional Secretary, Donatus Akamugri, said on A1 Radio on Monday that the opposition party is set to retain all its seats and also win those being held by the NPP including Navrongo Central.
His pronouncement has, however, been dismissed by Ms. Abayage who says the NPP will go into the 2020 elections with full force without leaving anything to chance.
Speaking on DayBreak Upper East show on A1 Radio on Tuesday, the regional minister said, “The whole region generally, we are coming with full force so they shouldn’t sit and be deceiving themselves oo, that they are going to whip us in Navrongo. I don’t know who is coming to lead the Navrongo seat. We [NPP[ have an MP already. Kofi Adda is there, he hasn’t said he is not going, he hasn’t said he is retiring, he hasn’t. We haven’t gotten there yet, we are not having the Navrongo election now. They should wait. When the time comes, whoever ascends the seat as the parliamentary candidate for Navrongo, will whip NDC to pulp. Mark my words, we are going to win Navrongo massively for the parliamentary and win it for the presidential and other constituencies, I can assure you.”
She assured that the NPP will elect competent parliamentary candidates who will secure massive win for themselves and the party in their respective constituencies. “All the seats in this region, we are going to put competent people, you wait and see. After 28 [September 2019], you will notice that everybody we voted for in the primaries in all the twelve constituencies on the 28th of September will be competent people who are the best choices for us. And then subsequently if we should have primaries in January, we are praying we don’t but if we should have primaries in January for the seats that we have siting MPs, we will have competent people put there who are going to give the NDC a run for their money,” she said.
Reacting to claims by Mr. Akamugri that any parliamentary candidate on the ticket of the NDC in the Bongo constituency will retain the seat after the incumbent NDC MP, Edward Bawa was retained during the primaries on Saturday; Ms. Abayage said Bongo is one of the seats the NPP will win in 2020.
The minister said, “We are taking Bongo from the NDC so they should also be sure that we are taking the seat from the NDC and Edward Bawa knows that the fight is not going to be an easy one for him. The time of NDC flexing its muscles around, bullying people around in the Upper East Region is gone ooo, if they don’t know that. If they come to the studio, tell them that I, Tangoba Abayage, I’m telling them that the time NDC was flexing its muscles, that time is past gone and they should just be ready for boot for ‘chalewate.’
Though there have been media reports the region minister is eyeing the Navrongo seat, she has not admitted or denied those reports except to explain that she is focusing on the assignment the President has given her as the regional minister.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHZ|Ghana
