Wa Central NPP primaries: Group from local government service picks up nomination form for Hajia Humu Awudu

In what appears as giving credence to the saying that one good turn deserves another, some workers of the local government service in the Upper West Region have teamed up to purchase a nomination form of the New Patriotic Party for Hajia Humu Awudu for the impending parliamentary primaries of the party.

This was after the group outwitted competition from its peers of five (5) other professional groups whose members had also lined up and bent on achieving similar aim of buying the nomination form on behalf of the aspirant as a way of expressing their gratitude for her for having masterminded the acquisition of their employment opportunities.

The other five (5) interested groups include: market women, some staff of Ghana Education Service (GES), staff of TVET Service (Technical and Vocational Education and Training), some staff from Ghana Health Service (GHS), as well as some personnel of the Ghana Security Services.

According to the Local Government employees, the gesture is to appreciate her efforts, in their own small way, for helping them secure employment to earn a decent living after years of waiting on the sidelines after completing school.

The event, which happened on Thursday, July 13, 2023, was attended by her supporters, party functionaries and sympathizers amidst funfair that characterizes such occasions.

Representatives of all the professional groups were at the party's Constituency office to witness the event and pledged to contribute their quota towards paying the filing fee.

A representative of the group, Abdul-Wahid Ahmed, speaking to journalists at the NPP Constituency office said: "Basically, we are here to pick nomination form for Hajia Humu Awudu. Actually, we made the decision to do that after she came in to salvage our unemployment issues. We're about 6 groups, we have the TVET Service, we have Ghana Education Service (GES), we have the Local Government, we have health workers, and we also have security services and we even have market women too who have also benefitted from Hajia Humu Awudu

So once she has endeavoured to help us, we also need to pay her back in good measure. So we decided to come together collectively to contribute a little amount of money so we can purchase the nomination form for her."

An aide to the Wa Central NPP Parliamentary Candidate, Issah Kpegla Jnr, receiving the nomination forms on her behalf, stated that: "We're here purposely to pick the nomination form for Hajia Humu Awudu upon her instruction. Sincerely, it was handed over to me by a group of young men and women who describe themselves as Professionals for Hajia Humu Awudu. And that almost the entirety of the group were young unemployed men and women after completion of their school. So Hajia Humu came in to intervene to make way for these young men and women to get them fixed in the various sectors of our governance institutions.

"So they came together that it's a good gesture to replicate something that someone has done for you. So they also thought it wise that since Hajia Humu still has the intention to contest in Wa Central constituency, they contributed out of their own volition. No body mobilised them (to do that). Hajia Humu was even surprised that these young men and women were contributing. Some were paying ¢100.00 Cedis, others were paying ¢50.00 Cedis

These were the contributions they kept together just to come and purchase this form. I think that they even went ahead to pledge that they'll do everything humanly possible to put together the filing fees so that by 10th of August, they'll come together and submit the forms on her behalf".

He clarified that members of the group recognise themselves as Professionals for Hajia Humu Awudu and not a political wing of the party of any sort.

Welcoming the gesture by the group, he noted that the gesture by the professionals is enough inspiration that any positive venture one strives in to benefit others would definitely not go in vain.

The Research and Elections Director of the party, Abdul-Wahab Saddique, while throwing more light on the opening of the nominations disclosed that only three aspirants had so far picked up their nomination forms and called on the aspirants to do their campaigns in a clean, decorous manner to maintain a united front going into the 2024 elections.

"So far, we started on the 11th (of July) and on the 11th, Mr. Issahaku Nayaro came and picked a form. Then today, we have two aspirants also coming to pick. In the morning, MCE (for Wa Municipal) sent a delegation for a form. This evening too, Hajia Humu team also came to pick a form on behalf of the aspirant. So far, I think that's what transpired

"Currently what we have, those who have announced their intention to go round the electoral areas, meet polling stations, meet electoral area coordinators and executives, to declare their intention, they're only three (3). And these are the people who came to pick the form so I don't anticipate any other candidate coming to pick any form again for now."

"The message is clear - decent campaign, decent campaign, decent campaign. Because the seat is not for NPP and this time around, we want at the end of the day, after the primaries, that the party will be able to come together, have one voice and be able to meet the candidate of the NDC boot-for-boot. So we have been telling them, if you go out there to campaign, we want decent campaign. That's what we have been telling them," the Research and Electoral Director noted when quizzed on the party's message to the aspirants.

The 2020 NPP's parliamentary candidate for Wa Central comes across as a politician with substance ever since she burst on to the political landscape in the constituency about 6 years ago and is noted for getting the youth educational scholarships, finding for the youth permanent employment opportunities, helping market women, solving development challenges of habitats, among others.

Hajia Humu Awudu will be aiming to represent the party in Wa Central for the second time after beating her closest contender, Issahaku Tahiru Moomen, the Wa Municipal Chief Executive during the 2020 elections.

She however failed to cause an upset against the NDC's incumbent Member of Parliament, Dr. Rashid Pelpuo who has been on the seat since 2005 by losing out with over 6000 votes margin.

Issahaku Tahiru Moomen, the Wa MCE, will also be seeking to lead the party in Wa Central for the third time after he contested and lost to Hassan Rashid Pelpuo in 2012 and 2016 as the party's Parliamentary Candidate, albeit losing by a slight margin of 571 votes in the latter, the first time the party achieving such feat.

Nominations were opened on July 11 and will be closed on August 10, 2023, for constituencies known as Orphan Constituencies across the country; constituencies where the party has no representation in Parliament.

The filing fee for male adults is pegged at a non refundable fee of GH¢35,000.00 while women, youth and People Living with Disabilities (PWDs) are expected to pay 50% of the amount, according to the party's statement.