There was an emphatic determination of the results of the Ketu South parliamentary primaries of the ruling National Democratic Congress (DC) by delegates last Saturday, with Hon. Franklin Fiavi Fifi Kwetey winning by a landside, which victory threw the area into wild jubilations.
The Catalyst, on account of some underground work done ahead of the contest, predicted the outcome in its Thursday 24th – Sunday 27th May 2012 edition.
Hon Fifi Kwetey, who campaigned on the Ewe slogan: “Nu Bu Neke!!!,” which translates in English as ‘Let Another Day Break,’ had the overwhelming endorsement of 403 delegates out of the total 585 votes that were up for grabs. The deputy finance minister thus had about 85% of the valid votes cast leaving the rest 15% for the six other contestants to share.
The incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Hon Albert Kofi Zigah, managed to get 60 votes as against a National Service District Director, Mr Raphael Alorwu’s 82, a former NDC parliamentary aspirant in the 2004 elections, Charles Nyphson Agbagedy’s 30, Nicholas Woclachie’s 6, an educationist and gender activist, Elzabeth Kunyefu’s 3 and Mr Frederick Alipui’s single vote.
Hon Fifi Kwetey in his victory speech thanked the delegates for their massive endorsement of his parliamentary candidature, which he promised would translate into more developmental projects for the area. He however stated that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) must be worried with his victory.
The Ketu South was one of the areas where the NDC has delayed the parliamentary primaries in anticipation of a split of the constituency into two, but that did not happen after all.
The Ketu South constituency primaries, which took a semblance of a regional rally, attracted many from the constituency and beyond. Held in the auditorium of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church at Agbozome, where delegates and a few privileged ones had access, the whole premises, including an adjoining football field was full of enthusiastic party supporters and supporters of the various aspirants who began trooping to the venue as early as 6am despite the fact that the programme was scheduled to begin at 10am.
When the result was finally declared at about 4:45pm however, the message of Ketu South was crystal clear as to what they wanted and who they believed had the pedigree to deliver to their expectation as their representative in the august house of parliament, as the mantle fell on Hon Fifi Kwetey.
Your authoritative, The Catalyst predicted in its last publication that when the curtains were drawn on the Ketu South parliamentary primaries of the NDC, Hon Fifi Kwetey would certainly emerge a definite winner.
During our underground work at the constituency, we found out that the people of Ketu South do not only recognise Hon Fifi Kwetey, who they affectionately call Fiavi (Prince), as a true son of the land but that he is considered their pride and they were confident he would bring further honour to the name of the constituency and place it on a higher pedestal, as their MP.
The paper also discovered that many citizens of the area revere Hon. Fifi Kwetey for his demonstration of total commitment to what he sets out to do. They admire him for his tenacity in communicating his convictions and the systematic way in which he follows those convictions in working for the good of the party and the constituency. Above all, there seemed to be a unanimous praise of his brave disposition in the face of, what has been described as, “marauding escapades by NPP attack dogs.”
References were made to Mr. Fifi Kwetey’s fortitude in spearheading the NDC’s media war under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government led by then President John Agyekum Kufuor, his outstanding performance as Propaganda Secretary of the NDC that put the Akufo-Addo 2008 presidential campaign in total disarray and his superb performance as deputy minister of finance & economic planning since the inception of the Mills government in 2009.
Aside from that, the general view of NDC followers nationwide towards the party’s primaries in Ketu South was nothing short of the result it produced. Described variously as a “consummate voice” which the NDC could not afford to lose in the next parliament, many a caller of The Catalyst expected Hon Fifi Kwetey to win for the general good of the party, apart from his responsibilities to his constituency.
It is said that to whom much is giving, much is expected. Much confidence is reposed in Hon Fifi Kwetey by his constituents, NDC faithful and many others across the country. When The Catalyst drew his attention to this fact in an exclusive interview with him, the parliamentary candidate-elect said that just as Ketu South has experienced another daybreak in choosing him, he is not oblivious of the reality of the times and will do his best to make his constituents and the party as a whole smile when he gets to parliament, but of course, with their support for a collective course.