Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has urged Assin North Constituency people to vote for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) candidate, Charles Opoku, in today’s by-election to ensure development of the area.
According to him, a victory for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate will suffocate the area’s development since James Gyakye Quayson does not have a godfather in government to call for help and development of his area.
Addressing a mammoth rally at Assin Breku on Sunday, he stated, “Vote for NPP’s Charles Opoku if you want development. If you vote for the NDC candidate, he will be unable to seek help and development from President Akufo-Addo.”
“The NDC candidate cannot go to Nana Akufo-Addo, me, or the Chief of Staff. He will only go to Parliament to drink tea at your expense,” he said emphatically.
Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, stated that the NPP needed to win the Assin North seat to secure control of Parliament and prevent the NDC from undermining the government’s development programmes.
He said the NPP was having difficulty in Parliament since the numbers are so close, explaining that “because the President is compelled to select half of his Ministers from Parliament, the NDC will use their numbers to harass us if any of them travels or becomes unwell.”
“This makes it critical to get Charles Opoku to Parliament to add to the NPP numbers so that if one of us becomes unwell, we can still conduct government business and carry out the President’s vision,” he stated.
The Majority Leader indicated that the government was unable to carry out its plans due to the COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021.
“Now that the IMF has come in, things have started to recover,” he said, adding, “So, with only one and a half years remaining, we need to move rapidly. You need the numbers if you can do things quickly.”
He appealed to the electorates to come out in their numbers to vote for the NPP man.
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader has expressed surprise about claims by former President John Dramani Mahama that the NPP was looking forward to increasing its numbers in Parliament to reject the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
“At the time that Christians, Muslims and the citizens of Ghana are saying no to it, he claims we in the NPP want it,” Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu disclosed.
He stated that he conveyed President Akufo-Addo’s views during the induction event for newly elected Regional Executives of the Assemblies of God Church, which ex-President Mahama attended.
“I said over there that President Akufo-Addo despises LGBTQ+. He does not agree with it and will never support it. He is a Christian and would never go for it. I am also a member of the Assemblies of God, and this is not one of our teachings,” he stated.
“Muslims in the country equally detest that animalistic behaviour. It will not be accepted under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo,” he insisted.
“If the former President turns around to come here to peddle such untruth, then there is no truth in him. I do think it is right for him to do that right from the church,” he contended.
By Ernest Kofi Adu