The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Builsa South, Daniel Kwame Gariba, has announced his decision to step away from contesting future parliamentary elections in the constituency after suffering his third consecutive defeat.
Mr. Gariba, who ran on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2016, 2020, and 2024, has bowed out of the race following his latest loss to incumbent MP, Dr. Clement Apaak of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). In the just-ended December 2024 general elections, Mr. Gariba secured 5,062 votes, falling significantly behind Dr. Apaak, who won with 8,974 votes to clinch a third term in Parliament.
Speaking publicly for the first time after his defeat on A1 Radio, Mr. Gariba said, “I must say, I am done now in terms of parliamentary. It is something that I thought through even before the elections, that, if this attempt fails, I will have to hand over to somebody else in the constituency to continue. I am not the only person in the constituency. I have gone once, twice, thrice, it didn’t work and it will be out of greed and sheer projection of oneself to continue to be the only person trying to represent the people in the constituency.”
The DCE, however, expressed his disappointment in the outcome of the election, noting that he believed his extensive contributions to the constituency’s development would have earned him a victory.
“For the people of Builsa South, many years to come, my name, whether they like it or not, will continue to resonate in many homes because of the work I have done as DCE for the past 8 years. And so, I thought, the only way they could say thank you in appreciation of what I have done over the period is to scale me up to the level of a Member of Parliament so I can continue to do that good work for them.”
“But that didn’t work. I myself, I’m looking for the answers to what went wrong. Is it that fact that they don’t like the elephant in the constituency, or personally, they just feel that I shouldn’t represent them? A number of questions are lingering in my mind that I wouldn’t get the answers now,” Mr. Gariba lamented.
Despite stepping down from parliamentary contests, Mr. Gariba pledged to continue serving the NPP and working toward the development of Builsa South. He emphasized his commitment to ensuring a seamless transition to his successor and providing unwavering support for the party’s quest to capture the parliamentary seat in the future.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Bolgatanga
