NDC Race: Evalue Gwira delegates declare support for Kofi Arko Nokoe

Over five hundred delegates of the opposition National Democratic Congress in Evalue-Ajomoro Gwira Constituency of Western Region have declared their unflinching support for Mr. Kofi Arko Nokoe as next parliamentary candidate of the party.

Mr. Kofi Arko Nokoe is battling the current primaries with Kua Dickson who contested in the 2015 parliamentary primaries and lost to the then Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Kweku Tanikye Kessie.

The Evalue-Ajomoro Gwira Constituency is one of the 17 Constituencies that National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party put on hold for unknown reasons but later cleared the road for the primaries.

The vetting of the two Aspirants ended successfully at Axim on Monday, August 19, 2019.

However, some political pundits have tipped Kofi Arko Nokoe to emerge victorious in the primaries.

Speaking to the Western Regional Organiser of the party, Japhet Baidoo immediately after the vetting, he said the date for the primaries has been rescheduled due to the delay of the vetting process.

The Organiser was unable to give a specific date for the primaries but said the rest of the Constituencies in the Region would have their primaries done on Saturday, August 24, 2019.

Speaking to GhanaWeb's Western Regional Correspondent on Monday, August 19, after the vetting, the Branch Secretary of Axim-Brawire Central, Felix Bright Mensah popularly known as Arrested, said they (Branch Executive) had confidence in Mr. Nokoe's exploits of winning the parliamentary seat in the upcoming 2020 general elections.

He has accordingly appealed to all delegates of the party to know that Mr. Nokoe stood for the development and had the good people of the Constituency at heart.

"We the Branch Executive are appealing to the Constituency Executive to organise a clean, free and fair election for us all to help fight together for the needed unity that had eluded this Constituency for long", he appealed passionately.

He said, "We the Branch Executive are appealing to all delegates to vote Mr. Kofi Arko Nokoe, the incoming redeemer of the Constituency to recapture the parliamentary seat from the NPP".

He added, "We are also appealing to all parliamentary aspirants to organise their campaign on issues devoid of personal attacks and backbiting and unnecessary insults, if the campaign is organised on issues, it will bring about party cohesion and unity leading to winning power in 2020".

Responding to earlier publications against the aspirant that he was an NPP member, Bright Mensah said the aspirant had never been an NPP member in his life.

He disclosed that the aspirant in 2014 was the Master of Ceremony (MC) during the NDC Constituency Elections.

He also revealed that the aspirant was an active member of TEIN at the University of Ghana.

"In the recent restructuring of the party at the branches throughout the country, members were registered at the various branches including Mr. Kofi Arko Nokoe, who registered at WTI branch in Axim, we are asking his critics to find out before criticizing him"

According to the Branch Secretary, Mr. Nokoe during the just ended Limited Registration Exercise, supported the party financially and used his own vehicle to support the party.

He said apart from helping the party, he said the aspirant used his influence as a former President of Axim Youth Association (AYA) to organise free extra classes for all Basic Schools at Axim.

He also disclosed that the aspirant donated school sandals to school children in the area to motivate them to attend school.

The Branch Secretary who spoke on behalf of these delegates said the aspirant has also renovated market sheds outside Axim.

Aside that, he said he was optimistic that the aspirant would win the primaries convincingly and go ahead to beat the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Hon. Catherine Afeku in 2020.

The Evalue-Ajomoro Gwira Constituency is one of the swing Constituencies in Ghana where no incumbent Member of Parliament has ever won it back to back.

The NDC lost the seat to Hon. Catherine Afeku of NPP in 2016. But before that, the NDC had also defeated Hon. Catherine Afeku in 2012.

However, after the defeat, Hon. Catherine Afeku came back strongly to win the seat back and has since vowed to break that jinx in 2020. But the NDC is also saying they are going to win the seat back in 2020.