…To Emerge As The Ejisu NPP Candidate And Calls For Unity, Peace And Hard Work To Retain Seat
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Lawyer John Kumah on Saturday defeated the Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwabena Owusu Aduomi, who doubles as the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ejisu Constituency, to emerge the winner of the fiercely contested primary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in that Constituency.
The primaries, which were organized throughout the country in Constituencies where the NPP has sitting MPs, were aimed at selecting the party’s Parliamentary Candidates for the impending December 2020 general elections.
There were three aspirants who contested in the Ejisu Constituency primary, namely, Hon. Kwadwo Owusu Aduomi, the incumbent, Lawyer John Kumah, who contested the Ejisu NPP primary for the second time and Abena Pokua Amoah-Boaitey
At the end of the polls on Saturday, Lawyer John Kumah emerged the winner with 397 votes while his closest contender, Hon. Owusu Aduomi polled 307 votes with Abena Pokua Amoah-Boaitey also polling a paltry five votes.
Delivering his victory speech, the winner, Lawyer John Kuamh, thanked God for seeing him through the difficult and turbulent campaign period and eventually crowing his efforts with a resounding victory.
While expressing his gratitude to the delegates for the confidence reposed in him, he pledged his readiness to team up with all stakeholders of the party in the constituency, including the two other contenders, to broaden the support base of the party and to ensure a smooth and resounding victory for the party’s Presidential Candidate and himself as the party’s Parliamentary Candidate in the December 2020 polls.
He called on all supporters and activists of the party in the constituency to close their ranks and to unite ahead of the major campaign towards the December 2020 general elections.
Lawyer John Kumah said, “I regard my victory as one for the entire party in the Constituency and I urge all of us to unite and to engage in the campaign ahead in a manner devoid of rancour and bickering,” adding that, “let us all unite to ensure victory in the December polls, for in unity lies strength.”
He urged the rank and file of the party to bury their differences now that, the primary is over and to unite in the interest of building a strong party, poised to retain power come December 2020, to continue the good works it started on assumption of power in January 2017.
“We are members of the same family,” he said, adding that, “let us all unite under the shade of the great elephant and to work hard to secure victory one more time,” urging all party supporters and activists, to be peaceful in all their political engagements.
Earlier in the week and prior to Saturday’s primary, Lawyer John Kumah, had predicted his victory when he declared that, he represented a ‘new hope’ and a better alternative for the party in the constituency.
He made the declaration when he was interviewed on Eyewitness News on an Accra-based private FM network.
He told the host that, while the work of the incumbent Member of Parliament was appreciated, he believed that, it was time for another person with fresh ideas to come on board to represent the people of Ejisu.
“This is the time that, the constituency, especially the youth, are setting different priorities of job creation, other economic opportunities, youth empowerment and the like.
“They want to see a new paradigm shift in the development agenda of Ejisu and I think that, I present the best alternative and new hope of strategy to place the development of Ejisu on a new pedestal,” he said.
He said with many young people in the constituency in need of jobs and other economic opportunities, he was the best person to deliver given his experience in managing young people and promoting businesses.
“It is just a matter of changing times, and leadership has its own timing. This is the best time for a change and a younger and dynamic individual like John Kumah, to also come and lead, so that, they [constituents] can also experience the new ideas that, I am bringing on board… Many of them have completed school, they are looking for jobs, there are no jobs; meanwhile they know that, Ejisu has the potential to give them jobs,” he said.