Ophelia Hayford (right) being introduced
The wife of the slain New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Mfantseman in the Central Region has filed her nomination at the Electoral Commission (EC) to run on the ticket of the ruling party in the December 7 general election.
Accompanied by some of the party’s regional executives and constituency leaders, Ophelia Hayford filed the nomination yesterday at the EC office at Saltpond after the party nominated her to replace her deceased husband.
The Minister of Special Initiative, Hawa Koomson, Central Regional Secretary Takyi Mensah, Regional Organiser Pessy Dennis, Regional Women Organiser Charlotte Ajoa Antwi, Mfantseman NPP Chairman Alhaji Jibril Adam, among others, were there to offer their support at the brief programme.
After the filing her nomination, Mrs. Hayford, who recently resigned from the Ghana Police Service (GPS) as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said, “I promise to work hard to ensure that the NPP wins the seat and honour the memory of my late husband and continue with his developmental agenda for Mfantseman.”
“I will ensure that all my husband’s unfinished business in the constituency is completed when I win,” she added.
The MP filed his nomination on Thursday, October 8 and was gruesomely killed the same night by supposed armed robbers, sparking public outrage.
He was attacked and killed on the often quiet Abeadze-Dominase-AbeadzeDuadzi-Mankessim road in the region.
Over the weekend, the party through its General Secretary John Boadu issued a statement saying they settled on Ophelia Hayford to replace her husband.
“This decision was taken by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) at its meeting on Sunday, October 18, 2020, in line with Article 12 of the NPP constitution.”
After the gruesome killing of the MP, the party sent a letter to the Electoral Commission (EC) to invoke Section 13(4) of C.I. 127 to allow a 10-day extension of the nomination period within which the party will file Mrs. Hayford’s name.
Mr. Boadu said in the statement that Mrs. Ophelia Hayford “replaces her late husband, Hon. Ekow Kwansah Hayford, who was the party’s parliamentary candidate for the Mfantseman Constituency until he met his untimely death following his gruesome killing by some unknown assailants while returning from a campaign tour.”
The statement continued, “The decision to settle on Mrs. Ophelia Hayford as replacement for her late husband was taken after extensive consultations with all stakeholders, including the constituents of Mfantseman. Mrs. Hayford had been a strong pillar in the political life of her late husband, and certainly her selection as his replacement can only be a step in the right direction.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu