The Majority Leader Alban Bagbin has advised George Boateng – the NDC member who is challenging President John Mahama – to “rethink” because he is not only “a comic relief” but a recipe for anarchy in Ghana.

Bagbin stressed the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) executive member at the Oyarifa constituency must not be taken seriously because he does not have the basic qualities of a leader let alone occupy the highest office of the land.

Describing Boateng as “a joke”, the MP for Nadowli-Kaleo noted Ghana’s democracy must not be taken for granted.

“I see it as comic relief. There is nowhere in the world that you have unlimited rights and freedoms, they are always managed,” the former Works and Housing Minister told Accra-based Asempa FM.

“The notion that democracy is just about voting must be discounted with… I’m all for it but not the caliber of George Boateng. George Boateng cannot even entertain us. Even though I said he is a comic relief he is taking Ghanaians for a ride. He is a joke.

“Ghana is not just the forerunner in achievement of independence in sub-Saharan Africa but in the democratic world we are an icon and even the developed world are learning from us. We have peace and harmony and that beats the imagination of many countries and so even though we want to open up for participation we should not be taken for granted, that anybody can just wake up and say I want to be president.”

Bagbin added: “In areas that this has happened we have had anarchy. Is not every person who is a leader and so I beg to differ… George Boateng should rethink.”

Boateng is hoping to unseat Mahama to lead the ruling party in the 2016 presidential elections, but the national executives have ruled out the possibility of allowing him sail through, arguing the forms he bought were draft copies.

The General Secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia has described him as mentally unstable after Boateng stated his main aim is to legalise cannabis to shore up the economy of an ailing economy.

Works are progressing steadily on a number of development projects in the Tano South District in the Brong Ahafo Region initiated by the Member of Parliament for the Area.

Hon. Hannah Louisa Bisiw, MP for the Tano South Constituency somewhere in June cut sod for the commencements of a number of projects in various communities in the district aimed at positively impacting on the lives of the people.

The projects which included construction of school buildings, CHPS compounds and slaughter slab were all initiatives of the Member of Parliament through her share of the MP’s common fund.

The school building projects at Techimantia Presby Senior High School, Subriso and Ada are made up of two storey building multipurpose administration block, a 1No 3 unit classroom block with office and ancillary facilities at Subriso and Ada respectively.

Few months down the line these projects have been raised into appreciable levels giving hope that in no time they would be completed.

The community-based health planning centres are however sited at Asuboi and Breme while the slaughter slab is at Techimantia.

The Tano South District Executive, Mr Bukari Zakari Anaba said the MP is committed to solving the many challenges confronting the people and has been working hand in hand with the assembly.This, he noted accounted for the interventions after the initial tour of the various communities to ascertain the level of challenges confronting them.

He said these are but few of the works of the MP in the district and called on the people to rally behind the MP and support her in her quest to bring development to the people.

Hon. Hannah Louisa Bisiw indicated that her motive of initiating such projects was to provide basic infrastructure on Education and Health to meet the needs of the people.

She said she found it expedient to provide classroom blocks to the Techemantia Presby Primary A because they were studying under trees and the children of Ada were walking a distance to attend JHS at Ankaase hence the need to provide them with a JHS.

Dominic Shirimori/Barnie Kwadwo Agyeman/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma South constituency in the Greater Accra region, Hon. Fritz Baffoe, will not seek re-election to the legislature during the 2016 parliamentary elections.

Accordingly, he has decided not to pick nomination forms to file his candidature to contest during the November 7 parliamentary primaries of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Hon. Baffour, who is also the Chairman of the Defence Committee of Parliament, disclosed this in a telephone interview with Today yesterday and hinted he is likely to exit active politics.

The former broadcaster hinted he might just go back to his former profession.

Though, he did not make it clear his reasons from retiring from politics, information gathered by this paper revealed that Mr. Baffoe’s decision is to pave way for the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Dr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, to contest the primaries and lead the area in the next Parliament.

It also emerged that Fritz Baffoe considers the mayor as an efficient leader who deserves the chance to lead the constituency and to bring his track record to bear as far as development of the area was concerned.

However, residents say his decision not to contest this time is to avoid suffering a crushing defeat from the mayor whose popularity keeps soaring by the day among NDC members and non-members alike.

Source: Today

Member of Parliament for the La Dadekotopon Constituency, Hon. Nii Amasah Namoale has appealed to the National Executive Council of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to review the party’s constitution.

Hon. Nii Amasah Namoale strongly called for a review of the NDC constitution on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” in order to reject the party’s Presidential aspirant, George Boateng.

He wants him (George Boateng) dismissed from contesting President John Mahama for reasons being that the latter has not done any work for the party at the Regional and constituency levels.

“If you’ve not done any work at the constituency before and also have not been a Regional executive before or a member of UK/Ireland/North America/South America and African diaspora before, you don’t have the right. You should not be given the chance to come and contest the Presidency.”

He also believed that George Boateng does not understand the concept of the NDC.

“I’m asking for constitutional amendment in the NDC,” he asserted.

 

The Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya in the Greater Accra Region Hon. Sarah Adwoa Sarfo has assured her constituents that their worries and needs are her’s as well and that turning her back at them has never been a thought on her mind.

“You elected me to be your Member of Parliament and to lead the development agenda of the constituency and that is exactly what I am craving for”, she affirmed.

The New Patriotic Party’s legislator believes that leaders are voted into office to help solve problems of the people they lead and cannot be termed as good leaders if they care less about the plight of the very people whose power they hold for example as Members of Parliament.

Outlining her plans for the Dome Kwabenya Constituency, Hon. Adwoa Sarfo disclosed that plans are far advanced to upgrade some notable roads in the constituency. Key among these roads are the Taifa station to Burkina, “Mr. Adjei”, and Dome Pillar 2.

Commenting on the need to make roads in her constituency motorable, Hon. Adwoa Sarfo suggested that good roads have social and economic benefits to the people who ply it.

She further revealed that though as a Member of Parliament she has not received any money from government, she has set out on her own to mobilize some resources; machinery, monetary and cooperation of the constituents to grade the roads in her constituency to ease them of the hustles they have to go through in their daily activities.

She has therefore call on all and sundry to support her to deliver her campaign promise of bettering the living conditions of the people of Dome Kwabenya Constituency.

 

The incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has picked nomination forms at the National Democratic Congress  (NDC) office at Aiyinasi to contest the 2016 parliamentary elections.

This is the third time Mr Buah has picked forms from the office to announce publicly his intention to contest the parliamentary seat on the ticket of the NDC.

The occasion, which could be described as a rally, was characterized by a procession of NDC faithful and sympathizers from the constituency who accompanied Mr Buah through the principal streets of Aiyinasi amidst brass band music and dance.

He was in the company of the District Chief Executive, Mr Daniel K. Eshun, the Western Regional Organiser of the NDC, Col.Kaku Korsah (Rtd) and the NDC Constituency Chairman, Mr Kwesi Berveh.

Addressing the enthusiastic gathering, Mr Buah reiterated  the need to complete the unfinished business of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president.

He thanked God, the NDC executives and all adherents of the party for giving him the nod to contest two previous elections adding “the NDC will use politics as an opportunity for cohesion and development”.

Mr Buah said: “The 2016 election is not about electoral register as being taunted in certain quarters but investing in the people and creating jobs”.

He recalled the sudden overthrow of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah by a military junta, which truncated his development agenda, adding, “since that time Nzema’s development stagnated until the NDC Government embarked upon grass root development with rural electrification, scholarships in education, accessible roads, and potable water among other things.”

He admiited that the district is now an industrial hub in Ghana with emerging opportunities in the oil and gas industry to offer jobs to the youth.

The MP said he had sponsored about 50 students to pursue masters degrees in various programmes abroad to bring their expertise to bear on the new industry and about 500 students locally to prolong the development chain of the area.

He announced that government had concluded negotiations for the construction of a harbour at Atuabo by LONHRO and assured the people that he would continue to initiate more developmental projects to better their lot.

Col. Kaku Korsah, in a rather metaphorical sense, said: “A good footballer is always maintained in subsequent matches so the MP ought to be maintained in the 2016 elections”.

The Chief of Akropong, Nana Adu Kwaw II, admitted that the district had been given a new face-lift due to the sterling leadership of the MP and outlined a litany of projects the MP had initiated.

He said the MP represented change and was development-oriented and must be supported to push the development agenda of the area forward.

GNA

Leader of the Minority New Patriotic Party (NPP) Caucus in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, is casting doubts over the credibility of the outcome of the upcoming District Assembly Elections, noting that the controversy surrounding the current voters’ register makes the whole exercise suspicious.

According to him, following the revelations of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the NPP about the bloated voters register by foreign nationals, the elephant family would have wished that a new voters’ register was used for Tuesday’s District Assembly Elections.

At a press conference on Monday to state their position on the upcoming District Assembly Elections in relation to the voters’ register, the Minority Leader however admitted due to the timeframe with which the exercise was going to be conducted, their demand for a new voters’ register was not feasible.

The Electoral Commission he said had enough time from now till the next general elections to compile a new voters’ register.

“Against the background of the serious issues that Dr. Bawumia and the NPP have raised in respect of the voters’ register, we would have wished that a different and more credible voters’ register should be used for the Assembly and other elections.”

“Whilst the outcome of the District Assembly elections may not impinge on the nodal issues that the party has meticulously studied and unearthed, it is our expectation that the elections will not becloud the necessary considerations that the Commission shall have to accord the issues,” he noted.

While the NPP is insistence on a new register, there are suggestions it could cost the country 500 million cedis, a view made popular by the ruling National Democratic Congress.

The claims were shot down by Mensah-Bonsu who said the state had no excuse for not wanting to offer a decent register.

“The EC had elected to commence the process of elections in December 2014 but that ended up at the Supreme Court where the effort of the commission, which was initiated contrary to good counsel by the Minority NPP parliamentary group, was nullified on account of the fact that the endeavour was not backed by the relevant law. The Electoral Commission thereafter conceded that the error that had committed cost the nation about GH₵100 million, that was equivalent to about US$50million then. Today that wasted US$50million is equivalent to over GH₵200million.

“In any case, are those saying the country does not have money for a new voters’ register the Finance Minister? What we are saying is feasible and must be given a trial,” he said.

GhanaMPs.gov.gh