Chieftaincy race caused my 2012 defeat but I don’t regret it – Moses Asaga speaks

Former Member of Parliament(MP) for Nabdam constituency in the Upper East region Moses Aduku Asaga has attributed his defeat in the 2012 parliamentary elections to his involvement in a race for Chieftaincy for his brother.

He disclosed that though he lost his seat to the New Patriotic Party(NPP) candidate in that election, he does not regret his decision to fully support his brother in a fiercely contested chieftaincy race which turned out successful paving way for the reign of his brother Naba Yelzoya Kosom Asaga II as Paramount Chief of the Nangodi Traditional Area.

“We had a chieftaincy problem and my direct brother was to contest for the chieftaincy in Nalerigu and I participated and was instrumental in him becoming the Paramount Chief,” he said in an interview on Bolgatanga based A1 Radio monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

Mr. Asaga who is also a former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority(NPA) further stated that it was nearly impossible for him to stay away from matters relating to the chieftaincy race.

“Everyone comes from a clan and you cannot say because you are a public figure, when it comes to your clan you would shy away. The clan and the gate existed 100 years before I was born. The disgruntled opponent in this whole chieftaincy issue who used to be for me and I know all voted against me”.

Mr. Moses Asaga has gone into political records as one of the longest serving law makers in Ghana’s election history.

The 2012 election defeat which saw the election of a former Director of the National Service Secretariat Boniface Gambila on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party pulled the plug on his 16 year reign as National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Nabdam constituency.

He further acknowledged that his long stay and a seeming desire for change by his constituents, coupled with an appealing message from his opponent also contributed to his loss.

“Boniface Gambila came for only one term and he was removed. It meant that he wasn’t the natural successor of Moses Asaga,” he said.

He stated that “The good people of Nabdam have seen that I worked hard for them because Nabdam never qualified to get a District. Even if we are talking about a constituency we are among the smallest in Ghana. So for you to be given a district meant that their son Moses Asaga was able to lobby parliament and the ministry of local government to get them the District. A few people may dispute this but that is for political nuances”.