Delegates voted against me for not holding ministerial position - Assibey Yeboah reveals

MP for New Juaben South, Hon Dr Mark Assibey Yeboah has hinted that the delegates voted against him in the party’s recent Parliamentary Primaries on the basis that he does not hold any Ministerial position.

Hon. Mark Assibey Yeboah said he may have lost the elections because of a perception by delegates that holding a position as a Minister in addition to a role as MP indicates that a person wields more power in government.

“Back home they think that if you are a minister or a deputy minister there’s a place for you in government but if you are left in Parliament as a Committee chairman there’s not so much importance is attached to your work,” he said on Newsnight.

Mr Asibey Yeboah is among the incumbent MPs who lost their seats in the just recent NPP parliamentary primaries.

Although he holds a position as the chairman of the Finance Committee in Parliament, he believes that does not have much influence on delegates as holding a ministerial position.

“Maybe you in the media will see this [position as the Chairman for Parliament’s Finance Committee] as an important committee but in the Constituency [electorates] will say that oh, the guy couldn’t even get a ministerial position, so people don’t attach a lot of importance to these committees so maybe that’s been one of the reasons why I lost,” he said.

He further indicated that if given another chance his policies wouldn’t have changed much because he has served his constituency well.

“If I had the chance again, my policies wouldn’t change much. I’d rather go out the way I’ve worked and my work speaks for itself,” he said.