Ahead of the 2024 General Elections, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mark Okraku-Mantey has picked his nomination form in a bid to take over the Ayensuano parliamentary seat.

He is expected to contest for the Ayensuano Parliamentary seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Speaking to journalists after picking the forms, he said "It has a lot to do with leadership. The people we know can influence how we can also develop ourselves and other people, especially in education. If we get the majority of our people educated the people will end up developing the environment themselves and so, knowing where I am now as the deputy minister of tourism, culture and creative arts, the people I know in the business fraternity before I became a minister and the world at large, if I put all my resources together, I can help, make Ayensuano a better place. I can help with capacity building, human resources and then development. So, I’m here to help, build the people who made me who I am today”.

Touching on what he intends to do to develop the various communities, he said, “We can say they are villagers today because of the environment but I don’t think they are villagers. You have electricity which is one of the sources of development and so, we just have to get businesses here that's why I said, I’m taking advantage of my network as a capitalist before I became a politician.”

“I’m going to convince and persuade them to come and set up businesses here. As of now, I already have two who are ready to come into the communities to set up businesses. The farming community are also going to benefit from the factories that are going to be built, so this time, we are going to do direct and target based on what the community plans in terms of vegetation and farming.”

"As deputy minister of tourism, I have also seen opportunities with ecotourism and so, we are going to get investors to come back here and build something like Aburi botanical garden because we have a lot of drains here and you know rich men pay for drains.”

Asked about his competitors, Okraku said, “I think that with my competitors, I’m a unifier. I know of the two camps but I’m not part of any of them. I’m a unifier, neutralizer and I have come to bring people together.”

“We are focused and we just have to ensure we don’t say words that will infringe on the rights of individuals, so, we are bringing everybody together and the ultimate goal is to take the seat from the NDC.”

"When it comes to the youth, I’m not sure anybody can drive the youth more than me as an entertainer, so I’m going to use that to drive the youth to all come together and fight for the seat. This is a traditional NPP seat, we just need to make a little effort and with leadership from the top and the people from the grass root, if we believe in ourselves that we are going to do it, why not, leadership can make it happen,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, sensational Highlife musician Kelvin Osei Danquah, known in the music industry as PASCO ABRANTIE has thrown his weight on Okraku Mantey to beat off competition from his opponents in the primaries to lead the NPP.

“Why did electorates vote in a skirt and blouse form? Why did you vote for President Akufo-Addo and rejected the parliamentary candidate? Electorates might not be at fault for voting against the MP. It might be the people lacked development in the constituency and that is why I’m backing Okraku Mantey for the seat.”

“NPP has held the parliamentary seat for the past 12 twelves in Ayensuano, so how come people voted skirt and blouse during the 2020 elections? For me, if constituents want development and be relieved from their burdens in 2024, delegates must vote for Okraku-Mantey to lead the party”.

The Ayensuano parliamentary seat was snatched from the ruling NPP, by the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC’s, Teddy Safori Addi.

The current NDC MP defeated then-incumbent, Samuel Ayeh Paye in the 2020 parliamentary elections.

The founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Slip Mark Entertainment, admitted that apathy and complacency affected the party in the constituency, hence the loss of the seat by the NPP.

He has promised to unify the party at the grassroots level for the party to regain its popularity to win the seat.

He thus urged the party members tirelessly devoid of parochial interest to build the party to the ‘Breaking the 8’ agenda.