Mohammed Illiasu, an aspiring independent parliamentary candidate for Tema East, together with his over 500 supporters have joined the New Patriotic Party.

Mr Illiasu, before declaring his intention to contest the seat as an independent candidate, was a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during which he held several positions including a youth coordinator, polling station executive, and a member of the finance committee in the Tema East Constituency.

He and his followers were on Wednesday welcomed into the NPP party by constituency executives at the Party’s office in Tema Newtown.

The former footballer said he decided to join the NPP because he realized that they were the best party that could give hope and jobs to the teeming youth in the constituency.

He added that members of the NPP were humble unlike the leadership of the NDC in the constituency, saying that, “I left the NDC because especially in Tema East here, those that we are supposed to work with are arrogant so I realized that I cannot work with them, that’s why I shifted to the NPP who are humble."

“I can say that I have hope in NPP than the NDC, I am therefore urging my followers that they should give the same support they were giving me to President Akufo-Addo, and Titus-Glover."

Nene Sackitey, NPP Tema East Constituency Secretary, and Campaign Coordinator for the 2020 elections welcomed Mr Illiasu and his followers to the party saying the NPP saw the move as positive.

He said they were happy that he had joined the NPP, saying that they would use him to get the numbers of the people on the ground as they were aware that he had a lot of followers in the ghettos and Zongos.

“It’s about numbers and so if you have other people moving from their folds to join us, we commend them for taking this bold step and we are not going to disappoint them,” he said.