... Pulls 10,000 crowd at first NPP gathering
... As wind of change sweeps across Ketu North

Hon. Samuel Kofi Ahiave Dzamesi, deputy Volta regional minister, and now confirmed New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate in the Ketu North Constituency for the December general elections, has proven that he has what it takes to break the myth surrounding the National Democratic Congress' (NDC's) grip in the region.

He has also warned the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Mobestus Ahiable, who also doubles as regional party chairman, to put an end to the politics of lies and character assassination and meet face him on a clean battlefield, for the seat.

And at a first gathering of party faithful and multitudes of NDC converts, which was meant to endorse him for the up-coming race, Dzamesi declared to the estimated 10,000 crowd that converged at the Dzodze main lorry park last Sunday tha, the constituency would be the first NPP Volta seat in the Fourth Republic.

Indeed so large was the crowd and so enthusiastic were the youth that at a point one of the nearly 50 traditional chiefs that gathered there to grace the occasion, confessed to this reporter that the turnout far outstripped some festivals he had attended in recent times.

And five hours after the function officially came to a close, festivities continued in the town till deep in the night with drumming, acrobatic displays and fireworks.

Addressing the crowd, Dzamesi said he decided to go for the race because the sitting MP had woefully and shamefully failed the people of the constituency for twelve years by making them believe that his job was limited to law making alone.

He said within a matter of three years of Positive Change, the people of Ketu district had seen over 90 development projects, all geared towards the welfare of the people.

"Our modest achievements show our sincere commitment to community development, as against the NDC's community deterioration. I can assure you that we shall never make the mistake they made", he stated.

Dzamesi congratulated the hundreds of NDC defectors for seeing the light, and urged the rest of them to follow, saying: 'belonging to the NPP is the best and wisest decision one can take today'.

Quoting a portion from one of the pieces of Booker T. Washington, a popular black-American scholar, Dzamesi said, "In all things that are purely social, we can be as separate as the fingers, yet as one as the hand".

The handsome giant, as his fans affectionately call him, however warned the NDC leadership to desist from the stomach politics or pay dearly for it.

"I wish therefore to make it clear that much as I do not intend to seek any revenge or mudsling anybody for my political gains, I shall also not hesitate to expose the ignoble and imperialistic leaders here in my constituency and in the region, whose main preoccupation is to serve their parochial and selfish interests at the expense of the poor people who had to queue on voting days to make them what they are today", he fumed.

He exposed Ahiable, whom he referred to as 'the outgoing MP', for standing against some development projects in the district, and fired at Mr. James Avedzi, another NDC parliamentary contestant, for clandestinely going to the Department of Feeder Roads to sabotage the construction of a road to his own village, Devego, simply because the people have resolved to vote for the NPP.

The minister also revealed that in the NDC era, one kilometer of asphalt road was costing $450,000, while the same thing is costing $250,000 under the Kuffuor administration; and linked this to over-invoicing in the NDC days.

In another speech, Major (Retired) Courage Kwashigah, minister of agriculture, said the stone that the builders have refused in the past is now the head of the corner, and called on the people to vote massively for the NPP.

He said government is committed to developing every part of the country, hinting that today Afife No. 1 long grain rice is being exported and is reigning on international markets.

The regional minister, Hon. Kwasi Owusu Yeboah, said the sun had set on Ahiable, and advised that he packed bag and baggage off the political scene.

According to the minister, the MP of the area had conceded that he was overwhelmed with the projects in his constituency and asked the people to vote for Dzamesi to go to parliament so that he would fight for more of such projects for them.

The first national vice chairman of the NPP, Mr. Stephen Ntim, thanked the people for rooting for the party, and advised them to register in their numbers so that they would be able to choose their brand new MP in December.

A 42-member campaign team was inaugurated, with a promise by Dzamesi that twenty more people would be co-opted into the team at a later date. Later, many NDC defectors and former executive members from Dzodze, Penyi, Ehi and Wheta were also introduced.

Earlier in the day, a former NDC Ketu South constituency office at Denu, which was taken over by the NPP, was officially declared open.

The umbrella fraternity, it was alleged, owed so much in rents that they had to be ejected by the landlord.

When 'The Chronicle' visited the place, a large drawing of the elephant, was noticed to have replaced the umbrella, with two red, white and blue horizontally stripped flags hoisted on the biulding.

Meanwhile, the NDC had moved to a single apartment some two kilometers further east along the Aflao road.

Present at the Dzodze gathering were Tommy Amematekpor, a presidential aide, Mr. Obed Okujeto, a patron of the party, and district chief executives from Ketu, South Tongu, Kpando, Hohoe, Keta, Ho, Kedjebi and Akatsi.

Ahiable's woes in the constituency, started a year ago when he tried to direct the construction of some projects to communities of his choice, much to the disadvantage of others.

In so doing he had incurred the wrath of the people, and rendered the district assembly polarized along party political lines. And some ten months ago the entire people of Adrume, a farming community near Ehi, demonstrated against him for trying to deny them a school, crossed carpet en block and sealed their vow with a ritual at the main crossroads in the outskirts of the town.

Not long after, he shot himself in the foot when he allegedly kicked against the construction of the ?2 billion Dzodze market complex.

This, and many others prompted a wind of change to blow in the area, with thousands of men, women and children now turning to the deputy regional minister as their newfound messiah.