Lawyer Baba Zankawa declares intention to contest Damongo constituency NDC parliamentary primaries, pledges to unite party

Following the opening of nominations for Presidential and Parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress for the 2024 General elections, Lawyer Baba Sadique Zankawah has declared his intention to contest the Damongo Constituency primaries on the ticket of the NDC.

The young Lawyer said his main motivation to avail himself to lead the party in the Damongo constituency as this critical moment in opposition was to recapture the seat from the NPP through unity of purpose for His Excellency John Dramani Mahama and by extension the great NDC party.

In a declaration of intent statement copied to blogger, Ananpansah Bartholomew Abraham,the Secretary of the Savannah Regional Disciplinary Committee of the NDC said there was enormous confidence in his bid to lead the party with dozens of NDC faithfuls who hitherto were on the fence now eagerly waiting for him to get the nod of the delegates so they can join the fight to rescue the seat.

"The news of my intention to contest in the primaries has sent shivers
and shock waves through the spines of our arch opponents the NPP.
They pray the story was never true. But we are sorry to inform them that it is indeed true, that In Shaa Allah Lawyer Zankawah is coming and he shall prevail.

"My intention to contest the forthcoming primaries was not borne out of sheer pursuit of popularity or recognition or crave for relevance, but it is borne out of a strong desire to salvage the constituency and put it back on track of real development pursued by previous NDC regimes," he said.

The Coordinator of NDC Lawyers in Savannah said Damongo was the political and traditional capital of Gonjaland and with HE John Mahama as the President in waiting, cannot afford losing the seat one more time.

He recounted his past contributions to the party in the Damongo constituency and beyond, even after, he failed in his bid twice to become the DCE for West Gonja, pledging to run a clean campaign devoid of name calling and mudslinging, stressing that," I shall focus on mending the cracks and building bridges".

Brief Profile of Lawyer Baba Sadique Zankawah

Lawyer Baba Sadique Zankawah comes into this contest as the proverbial ‘Kapok Tree’ whose roots and buttresses are deep and extensive, extending across the length and breadth of the Constituency and beyond.
Originally, he hails from Larabanga but born and bread in Canteen with ancestral roots in Ngbaripe-Damongo (specifically the Dua-pe Clan). His ancestral roots further extend to Busunu, Murugu, Mognori and even Daboya.

Linguistically, he can be described as a polyglot who speaks Kamara, Gonja, Hanga, “Canteen Housa”, Wale/Dagaari, and Mampruli. He also understands and fairly speak Frafra, Dagbani, Twi among others.

In terms of education, Lawyer Baba Zankawah had his elementary education at Canteen L/A Primary/Middle School- Canteen; Secondary education at Damongo Secondary School,- Damongo; and attended several tertiary institutions including, the University Johannesburg, South Africa; University of Ghana, Lagon; Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana and the Ghana School of Law, Makola Accra.

By way of profession, he is a Barrister at Law (Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana) and a Radiographer, with expertise in several other areas.

Political activism, affiliation and track record

The political activism and affiliation of Lawyer Baba Sadique Zankawah to the NDC dates back to the revolution era where as a teenager, he was an active member of the Democratic Youth League of Ghana (DYLG), the youth wing of the then committee for the Defence of the Revolution (CDR) and transitioned into the Varenda Boys and Girls, also a youth group in the early stages of the NDC.

He has been an unalloyed supporter and loyal member of the Party since 1992 and have contributed (financially, materially, and intellectually) to the course and wellbeing of the Party in Damongo constituency most especially, from 2007 till date.He actively supported and participated in every electioneering campaign since 2008. Very recently, he supported the Party with close to 300 plastic chairs.

Over the period, he has served the lager party in some significant roles.

He is currently a member of and Secretary to the Savannah Regional Disciplinary Committee of the Party and also a member of the Savannah Regional Political and Strategy Committee.
Further, he is a member and the incumbent President of the Professional Forum of the NDC (Proforum), Savannah Regional Chapter and also member of the NDC Legal Team and Coordinator of the NDC Lawyers in the Savannah Region.

In the last regional executive elections, he served as a committee member of the National Vetting Committee and was assigned to the North East Region.
His relationship and dealings with individuals and Party have always been influenced solely by the overriding interest of the Party and not by my whims and caprices nor that of any other individual.

He has resisted many temptations and calls to contest the Damongo constituency seat knowing when we had an incumbent MP whom we all needed to keep supporting to retain the seat in the collective interest of the party.

Even when he contested for the District Chief Executive on two consecutive times (in 2009 and 2013) but was unsuccessful on both occasions, he never became discouraged in my loyalty and support to the party.

Not even when a petition was maliciously written against his DCE bid could shake his loyalty nor demotivate him from supporting the party. He continued to give off my very best of resources, support and physical presence over the period to ensure that the Damongo seat is always that of the NDC, but unfortunately, the party lost the seat in the 2020 elections to the NPP.