Politics of Wednesday, 1 November 2023

Source: starrfm.com.gh

NPP presidential race: Bawumia’s campaign team targets 90% votes in Ashanti

The four candidates standing the elections to be NPP flagbearer The four candidates standing the elections to be NPP flagbearer

The Campaign Manager for Team Bawumia in the Ashanti region, Dr. Ayew Afriyie, has said Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia will win the Ashanti region election with at least 90% of total votes.

Speaking to GHOne TV Ashanti regional Correspondent Isaac Justice Bediako in an exclusive interview the Effiduase Asokore Constituency Member of Parliament said all their plans in the Ashanti region have all been well executed in the region by their competent campaign team members.

“By God’s grace I can say we are fully prepared for the Saturday 4th November 2023 Presidential candidate election in the Ashanti region. We have a good team and our planned programmes have been executed well so I will say at the moment our predation is well on course. Four days to the elections we are moving to D-day operations, so I think we are very well prepared and ready for 4th November’’ he said.

Two out of the four Presidential candidate spirants contesting to lead the New Patriotic Party into elections 2024 are native of Ashanti and former members of parliament of Kwadaso and Asante Mampong Constituencies who are tip to make significant impact in their home regions and their constituencies in particular.

However, the campaign manager for Vice President Dr. Bawumia Ayew thinks otherwise on their influence in the stronghold of the party.

He explained “Ashanti don’t vote tribal line and it was indicated on August 26th special delegates elections held on KNUST campus the signal sent to the country was clear that we are one people one family and the agenda is Ghana’s agenda. So we only look at a candidate who is presentable to Ghanaians. Be as it may you can produce a flag bearer but we want to produce a flag bearer a competitive personality who can deliver a president to the NPP and for Ghana. From all indications Ashanti is likely to produce the same results it produces in the 26th August election Dr. Bawumia is the choice regardless of whoever is contesting with him from the Ashanti region ’’ he assured.

He stressed the campaign team target for the Ashanti region is ninety per cent (90%) “The Ashanti target is 90% very realistic and absolutely achievable. The margin of error is plus or minus three (+ or -3) so our worst-case scenario should be 87% and our best-case scenario should be about 93% on a good day as we expect. Ashanti is the one going to produce the larger numbers of votes in the election across the country. So Ashanti is the deal history antecedents show Ashanti supported Prof. Adu Boahene and straight away he won and became the flag bearer for the NPP. Ashanti supported President Kuffour and he won. Ashanti supported Nana Akufo Addo and he won so I mean Ashanti is the real deal. The results of 26th August 2023 results show that Ashanti is behind Dr. Bawumia with 82% during the super delegates election. So the signal is real: any person contesting with Dr. Bawumia should be worried and mindful of Ashanti. So be it that they are doing their best as Ashanti to catch attention but Dr. Bawumia’s victory is already secured.”

Islamic Country sponsorship Rumor

Dr. Afriyie also denied rumors that his candidates’ Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia’s campaign activities are sponsored by the Arab countries because of his religious background.

“I can speak authoritatively that Ashanti Team Bawumia is financing the campaign operation in Ashanti, Ahafo and Western North regions because we received good donations from people who believe in Candidate Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia. So it is a huge lie to think Arab persons are involved in his campaign sponsorship. So be it if there were Arab presence why would we be struggling to raise funds? no funds had come from Dr. Bawumia to Ashanti; his campaign finance is purely from donations from people one cedi from Dr. Bawumia hasn’t come to Ashanti, not before the 26th August super delegates election and the upcoming one on 4th November 22023.

“So we are doing our fund raising to tell him we are bringing him to lead the party into elections 2024 to show him that Ashanti is behind him and Ashanti is also sponsoring every campaign activities in Ahafo region and western North’’ he disclosed.

Candidates for the elections include Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong Member of Parliament for Assin Central constituency and Francis Addai Nimo former Member of Parliament for Asante Mampong and Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia.

At the time of filing this report, the campaign team of the Vice President including Constituency executives, MMDCE’s and some members of Parliament were in a meeting at the Vice President’s campaign secretariat to finalize their strategy ahead of the 4th November 2023.