Tema, July 20, GNA - Mr Abraham Ossei-Aidoo and Mr Ishmael Ashitey incumbent Members of Parliament for Tema West and Tema East Constituencies, respectively, were on Sunday endorsed as New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidates at separate primaries held at Tema. Mrs Philomena Edusei, Tema Municipal Electoral Officer, explained that the two were declared unopposed because they were the sole candidates at the close of nominations.

Mr Ashitey, who is the Minister of State in-charge of President's Special Initiatives and Mr Ossei-Aidoo, Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, at separate primaries called on the members to close their ranks to prevent infiltration and rally behind them.

They called for the intensification of underground campaigns to win more people into their fold and convince them to vote massively during the elections to return both of them and the Party to power to continue with its developmental programmes.

While Mr Aidoo was optimistic that the NPP would win over 10,000 votes in his Constituency, Mr Ashitey expressed the hope that he would receive 80 per cent of the votes in his Constituency.

They said judging from the good works carried out in their constituencies there was no doubt that they would win the elections. Mr Ashitey, who said education was his priority, has renovated various schools in his constituency and equipped them with facilities, while he has sought jobs for some unemployed youth and constructed a youth vocation centre to train the youth in various vocations.

Mr Ossei-Aidoo said he had sponsored about 200 unemployed youth to acquire skills in various vocations, supplied cement for projects in the schools, provided street lights, reached out to the poor and sponsored needy but brilliant students from the Junior Secondary School (JSS) to the tertiary level.

He said though the Party had not had it smooth with its governance, it had achieved a lot within the three-and-a- half years as compared to the 20 years tenure of office of the PNDC/NDC administration.

Mr Ossei-Aidoo said the NPP had proved that democracy could co-exist with development, because under its creation of freedom of speech, the Party had undertaken several developmental projects and made reference to projects like the Metro Mass Transport System, the Boakrah Inland Port, rehabilitation of the rail transport and construction of roads. While Mr Ossei-Aidoo is contesting the seat against Mr George Medie, an Industrialist, of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) while Mr Ashitey is also seeking the seat with his aunt, Mrs Emelia Naa Kai Adjei, an Educationist also of the NDC.

Meanwhile, the NPP Vetting Committee disqualified Madam Naa Ayele Ajavon, an Educationist, who was to contest the seat with Mr Ossei-Aidoo.