Director of Political Affairs at the Presidency, Manaf Ibrahim has officially yielded to the numerous calls from residents of Asawase to run as parliamentary candidate on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with a vow that the change needed in Asawase is inevitable.
The aspirant who picked his nomination on Thursday, July 25, 2019 puts to rest lingering doubts about his plans to contest after the party officially announced nomination for orphan constituencies.
Prior to his announcement, disgruntled supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Asawase constituency threatened to cede the parliamentary seat him in 2020 in protest against the imposition of the incumbent lawmaker for the area, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka.
Speaking briefly to the media, he called for unity within the ranks of the party he said was a pivot to its victory in 2020 expressing hope the contest will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner to facilitate reconciliation thereafter.
“The forthcoming primaries is bound to throw up some difficulties, which we must & will overcome If God wills. Unity in our ranks is vital to the prospects of our victory come 2020. We are hoping that, the competition will be conducted in a way that will facilitate reconciliation amongst us (competitors) and our supporters, thereby reinforcing the unity of our party.
The message of hope, change & opportunity has gone down well with my people. They have grown impatient and could hardly be swayed by the deceitful narratives. The society they have envisaged is a far cry from the society that is now. Indeed, It is time to close this demeaning chapter in our history” he stated.
According to him, his desire was not for his personal interest but the generality of residents of the area promising not to let them down with the confidence reposed in him.
“I’m not looking to win the seat for its own sake, nor out of any affection for the back and forth of our national politics. My sight in this campaign are set on one thing only and that is, the chance to fundamentally change Asawase for the better. Let us join hands in progressive Union to pull each other from this situation”, he urged.