Member of Parliament for the Manhyia South Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has filed his nomination forms, seeking to become MP for the 4th time.
Amid dancing and drumming, hundreds of delegates clad in party outfits bearing his portrait, joined the education minister at the party office near the Abbeys Park, a recreational centre in the constituency, as he presented bankers draft of 20,000gh cedis, passport pictures, CV and other requirements to complete his task.
Wearing the famous Barcelona Club Jersey and with a cap on his head depicting an old schoolboy, the Manhyia-Palace royal with succinct words said he needed to accomplish all that was required of him to be a proper aspirant before the April 25 parliamentary primaries in the constituency.
‘’I came this afternoon to file my nomination and to fulfill my obligation as an aspirant of the NPP so that I can stand for the 25th April parliamentary contest in this constituency’’, Dr. Napo calmly noted.
Speaking to the media after completing the filing process, the three-time MP indicated his desire to work for the retention of the NPP in power.
According to him, the longer the party stays in power the better for the people of the country as well as party members to secure jobs.
Dr. Napo expressed appreciation to his constituents for the support they had shown him and asked that they continue to ensure together they work for the betterment of the NPP party.
Sounding emotional, the Education Minister said he was stunned at the enthusiasm shown by the party delegates and prayed for strength to serve them better in the ensuing years.
‘I am stunned at the enthusiasm shown by both party delegates and sympathizers and I pray that God supplies strength to us to serve them better in the years to come because our longevity in government would mean better progress for us as a people’’, Napo tearfully remarked.
Accepting the nomination form of the MP, Haruna Alhassan, constituency and elections committee secretary commended Dr. Napo for fulfilling the obligations of the party as an aspirant.
He revealed that since the opening of nominations by the party Dr. Napo has been the only person to pick and to return forms to the elections committee.
Mr. Alhassan stressed that no party or constituency executive can stop anyone from picking nomination forms, adding the office is open for anyone interested to do so.
‘’We as elections committee will go by the rules and regulations governing the picking, filing, and conduct of parliamentary elections in this constituency and we are determined to have a smooth process on April 25’’, the secretary posited.
NPP Primaries slated for April 25
The ruling party will be electing a Presidential candidate on April 25, 2020, as Ghana goes to the polls this year.
Parliamentary candidates will also be elected the same day.
The party has earlier conducted primaries at some constituencies occupied by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
They have been christened “orphan constituencies”.