The appeals by President Akufo-Addo to Chiefs and people of the Upper East Region to look favourably on the government of the New Patriotic Party by voting massively for him and the party and the shooting to death of a parliamentarian are some of the leading stories in Ghanaian press on Friday.
The Graphic reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged the Chiefs and people of the Upper East Region to look favourably on the government of the New Patriotic Party by voting massively for him and the party’s parliamentary candidates on 7th December 2020
Addressing a meeting of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs on Thursday, October 8, 2020, President Akufo-Addo stated that the Upper East Region has, since the advent of the 4th Republic, not looked favourably on the NPP either in the presidential or parliamentary elections.
“The Presidential candidates of my party, the three; Prof. Adu Boahen, John Agyekum Kufuor, and myself have never won the majority of the popular votes in the Upper East region and, indeed, our party has not fared well in the parliamentary elections. Three (3) out of the fifteen (15) seats of the Region are currently in the possession of the New Patriotic Party,” he said.
The President continued, “What I am, respectfully, asking of you is that, having regard to what is happening in this country the last three (3) nearly four (4) years, of a performing government that has fulfilled the overwhelming majority of its commitments to the Ghanaian people, and has shown its determination to work in the interest of all the peoples of Ghana without discrimination, that this time round the Upper East looks favorably on the elephant party and helps us become the majority party in the Upper East.”
President Akufo-Addo told the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs that, in the three and half years that he has been in office, he has had the opportunity to manifest to the Ghanaian people the honesty with which he made the promises of 2016 to them.
The newspaper says that a member of Parliament for Mfantseman Constituency, Mr Ekow Kwansah Hayford, has been shot dead.
According to reports, the 49-year-old MP was shot by unknown assailants while returning from a campaign tour on the Nkusukum Mankessim-Abeadze Duadze road in the Central Region at about 1am on Friday, October 9, 2020.
The Mankessim Divisional Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr. Owoahene Acheampong, who confirmed the incident to Graphic Online, said the Police were still gathering information as part of investigations.
The body has been deposited at the Saltpond mortuary.
An eyewitness in a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online in Accra said the suspected robbers stopped the MP’s vehicle with others which had joined him on the campaign tour, but the MP’s driver attempted to drive through.
The driver was reportedly shot first which resulted in the losing control over the vehicle.
They were all ordered out of the vehicles and the MP reportedly introduced himself when the suspected robbers asked which of them was Ekow Kwansah, the eyewitness said.
The Graphic also reports that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has caused the arrest of four of its examiners who were careless with the scripts of candidates they were marking, leading to the circulation of some of the scripts and scores on social media.
The suspects, who are currently assisting the police with investigations, were traced to have allowed papers they were marking to be videoed, snapshot and circulated on social media where the marks of the candidates were displayed together with the index numbers and centre codes.
The examiners were picked up at Adukrom, Cape Coast, Kasoa and Accra, where they were marking the papers.
The examination body condemned the act and called on all examiners to be diligent and protect the personal data of the candidates being entrusted to them as the law frowned on making them public without authority.
The Times reports that Professor Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the Election 2020 Running Mate of the Presidential Aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has stressed that the December polls is about the destiny and future of the country and not take them for granted.
She appealed to the electorate to come out in their numbers to vote for former President John Mahama to save the country and ensure socio-economic growth and development agenda.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was addressing separate durbars at Gomoa Ankamu, Apam, Gomoa Asebu, Mangoase, Nyakrom, Agona Asafo, Awutu Bereku, Gomoa Buduburam, and Kasoa during her recent tour of the Central Region.
As part of the visit, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang and her entourage paid courtesy calls on traditional leaders and Zongo communities before addressing party supporters and members at respective rallies.
“The NDC is the only party that can rescue Ghanaians from economic hardships since our flag bearer and former president is a man who promises and delivers and should be voted back to continue with the growth, developmental projects, programmes and social interventions he started and also to add more to improve the livelihoods of all,” she assured.
GIK/APA