Politics of Sunday, 6 September 2015

Source: GNA

PPP KEEA Parliamentary Candidate to contest NDC primaries

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The 2012 Progressive People’s Party (PPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the Komenda- Edina- Eguafo- Abrem, Mrs Doreen Mansa Manieson, has defected to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and declared her intention to contest the upcoming primaries.

Earlier this year, she withdrew from the PPP’s primary in KEEA, three days before the contest and subsequently resigned, citing intimidation, embarrassment from the party among other reasons she failed to disclose.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, she disclosed that she was a member of the NDC before she was invited to join the PPP in 2012 thus her decision to “go back home” after realising that the structures of the PPP are no longer suitable for her.

“There is freedom of association in this country… and I have gone back home,” she stated.

Mrs Manieson, who is yet to pick nomination forms, confidently stated that her chances of winning are high, explaining that her hard work in the 2012 elections won her many votes and with this same dint of hard work and God’s grace, she would win.

However, the Entrepreneur and co-founder of City and Guilds Academy stated: “This is not a do or die affair, there is always one winner in every race”.

The Aspirant said she remained committed to championing, among others, women and children empowerment especially the foundation age education of children which she described as a problem in the constituency.

Mrs Manieson was made the candidate for the constituency after party members had cast a vote of no confidence in Mr Annan, who actually won the party’s 2012 primaries, but she could not win the seat for the party.

Her withdrawal from the party’s primaries in the constituency made his opponent, Mr John Sterling, brother-in-law of Dr Papa Kwesi Ndoum, the party’s founder and the 2012 flag bearer of the party, the parliamentary candidate for the party.

In the KEEA NDC primaries, she would be battling it out with Mr Matthew Kwofie, the KEEA Coordinator of Youth Enterprise Support, Mr Samuel Atta Mills, younger brother of late President, Professor John Evans .Atta Mills and others who are yet to make known their intentions.

Should Mrs Manieson wins she would have the task of ousting, incumbent Member of Parliament, Dr Stephen Nana Ato Arthur of the New Patriotic Party to return the seat to the NDC.

The KEEA seat was held by the NDC from 1992 by Dr Ato Quarshie until, Mrs Veronica Essuman Nelson who represented the party in 2004 lost it to Dr Ndoum on the ticket of the Convention People’s Party.

Dr Joseph Samuel Annan reclaimed the seat for the party in 2008 only to lose it to the incumbent Member of Parliament Dr Arthur, after a vicious internal battle between Dr Quarshie and Dr. Annan which virtually split the party during the 2012 elections.