The proposed Deputy Majority Chief Whip and MP-Elect for Ayawaso West Wougon, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, says she is ready to discharge her new leadership role in Parliament diligently. Madam Seyram Alhassan was nominated by the leadership of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to serve as a Deputy Majority Chief Whip in the 8th Parliament. She is to deputize Frank Annoh Dompreh, the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP. Lydia Alhassan replaced Ophelia Hayford, the Mfantseman MP who was earlier proposed as one of the Deputy Whips. Speaking for the first time since her nomination, Madam Alhassan noted that she will succeed with the support of all. Madam Alhassan insisted that she will work hard to make all her critics proud. “Ghanaians can see what I have done within these two years. My new appointment is a learning curve and for me, I am ready and prepared for this new role. I will work hard to make my critics proud. We all need our critics to put us on our toes.” NPP’s leadership of 8th Parliament Meanwhile, the National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has chosen Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye to serve as Speaker of Parliament for the second time. He has served in such capacity since January 7, 2017. The former two-term Dome-Kwabenya MP served as the Second Deputy Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament between 2009 and 2013. Prof. Oquaye was MP for Dome-Kwabenya from 2005 to 2013. From 2001 to 2004, he had served as Ghana’s High Commissioner to India. It also endorsed the change in deputy from Sarah Adwoa Safo, the Dome-Kwabenya MP, to Alex Afenyo-Markin, the Effutu MP. Citinewsroom Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
JUST IN: See Three Widows Who Succeeded Their Husbands In 2020 Ghana Elections
In Ghana politics, it is gradually becoming a norm for political parties that when any of their party representatives passed on, their mourning widows will be forced to replace their late husbands in the name of retaining the party seat in Parliament. This new development is becoming a matter of public debate across the country among some well-meaning Ghanaians including politicians themselves. Somewhere in October 2020, Editor of the Patriot Newspaper, Peter Bamfo advised various political parties against ‘forcing’ mourning widows from taking the place of their spouses in parliament regardless of it serving their purposes. Mr. Bamfo made the call in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show (Happy 98.9 FM and e.TV Ghana) monitored by Apexnewsgh.com, He said, “It is important that we do not let partisan politics ruin our culture. You can’t use this kind of situation to cure the challenge of low women representation in parliament”. However, the same month of October, a Member of Parliament (MP) came out openly to register his displeasure with such a developing trend in Ghana politics. According to the MP who was very furious and worried about the development in Ghana politics, He said, such development puts them at risk as husbands, because when such a move is favoring women, their lives as husbands will be in danger. However, it appears the trend is becoming very lucrative for these widows because, all those who contested under the ticket of both NPP and NDC won massively in the 2020 parliamentary elections. In January 2019, Alhassan contested the parliamentary seat for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency, running to replace her late husband. She won the election with 68.80 percent of the valid votes cast. The other candidates, Kwasi Delali Brempong of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) polled 30.52 percent, William Kofi Dowokpor of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) polled 0.58 percent, and Clement Boadi of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) polled 0.10 percent. Mrs. Lydia Seyram Alhassan successfully contested the 2020 Ghana general election under the ticket of the New Patriotic Party and has retained her seat after polling 39,851 out of 77,604 total votes. Her closest competitor actor Mr. John Dumelo of the NDC polled 37,778 while an independent candidate got 108 votes. Mrs. Lydia Akanvariba Lamisi Adakudugu is the wife of the late David Adakudugu the NDC parliamentary candidate for the Tempane constituency, who later died in September last year, after his departure, there was a need to hold a new primary to elect a new candidate to represent the party at the December 7, 2020, parliamentary polls. That was how Mrs. Lydia was considered as the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for the Tempane Constituency. According to the results, Lawyer Kpemka pulled only 16,461 votes which represent 44.01 percent against 20,939 representing 55.99% for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Madam Lydia. However, another widow among them is the Parliamentary candidate for Mfantseman Constituency in the Central Region, Mrs. Ophelia Mensah Hayford who succeeded her late husband Mr. Ekow Kwansah Hayford as the Parliamentary candidate for Mfantseman Constituency after some armed robbers shot and killed him while on campaign duties. Mrs. Mensah Hayford makes a history of winning a second term for Mfantseman Constituency under the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with 36,021 against her competitor Mr. James Odziifo Essoun who had 32,438 votes. However, her victory came as a result of her husband’s cordial relationship with the people of Mfantseman. The writer isn’t suggesting that widows have hands in whatever that happened to their husbands, that is not the case, but the question is, could these widow’s replacement of their husbands in Parliament be a better way of mourning their husbands? It is becoming a norm and a matter of concern to most Parliamentarians themselves. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications
Even if you swim in the Ayawaso flood you won’t win – John Dumelo shades Lydia Alhassan
The NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon, John Dumelo, has taken a swipe at the incumbent Member of Parliament for the area, Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan, over what he describes as her refusal to see to the social welfare and development of the constituents whiles harbouring a tendency to jump into action whenever he (Dumelo) makes any move to that effect. According to Dumelo, the MP’s action speaks of her failure and as much as she tries, she will not be able to rescue herself from being defeated on December 7. “Last week Saturday, I went to wear my boots and entered the water. Somebody too came and wore her boots with her Kaba and slit in the water. If she likes, she should even swim in the water you (she) will not win the election. They stopped me from doing that work, but they cannot stop us from victory. They stopped me from fixing the drain in West Legon but they cannot stop us from victory. The seat is for us and we are taking the seat,” he declared to a gathering of party faithful and sympathizers on Sunday, October 18, 2020, when he launched his campaign at the Bawaleshi School Park. The Ayawaso West Wuogon race will arguably be the most interesting one in the parliamentary elections come December 7. Long before he gained his party’s nomination, John Dumelo of the National Democratic Congress gave a strong signal to the incumbent, Lydia Alhassan of the New Patriotic Party, of his intention to be the opponent that will give her a run for her money. As part of his way of reaching out to the people of Ayawaso West, John Dumelo some months back hired excavators to dredge some drains in the West Legon area due to the problems faced by residents in that area whenever there is heavy rainfall. He was, however, reported to have been asked to stop the dredging by the Ayawaso Municipal Assembly pending the granting of a permit by the Assembly. The action by the Assembly was interpreted by many as being politically motivated. Months down the line when it rained heavily last week, some parts of the West Legon area and other areas of the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency were heavily flooded. Some residents in the area, as well as the NDC parliamentary candidate, linked the flooding to the refusal of the Assembly to allow the dredging exercise and accused the assembly of doing so on political grounds. Minutes after the rain had stopped last Saturday, John Dumelo was seen in pictures and videos shared on social media walking through the floodwaters visiting some residents to find out how they had been affected by the rain and later in the day, the same was seen of the Member of Parliament, Lydia Alhassan. Speaking during his campaign launch on Sunday, Mr. Dumelo who repeated his confidence in winning the Ayawso West race, indicated that the many social interventions he has undertaken in the constituency are only a prelude to what he intends to do for the people as a member of parliament. “Last year when I won the primaries I got to work and I can confidently tell you that things are happening in Ayawaso West Wuogon. We are sharing laptops, not that when we come, we will share, we are already sharing laptops. We are already creating jobs, they claim that One District One Factory, I don’t see any factories in Ayawaso West Wuogon, I will make that factory and produce that factory in Ayawos West Wuogon. You cannot come and lie to us that you will do the thing when you are not doing the thing. I am here to do it and I will do it. I have started doing it already. Last week I started or inaugurated my mushroom farming, that is what we are going to implement to create a factory in Ayawaso west. So that we can create jobs for everybody,” he said. GhanaWeb Please kindly contact Apexnewsgh.com on Email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications









