....Moves to retain Gomoa East seat
In what can aptly be described as ?Operation Sweep All Bye-Elections?, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is poised to add the Gomoa East constituency to the list of its ?excellent shows? in bye-elections.
The Gomoa East seat became vacant when the incumbent, Hon. Emmanuel Akyeampong died in a tragic motor accident on the Agona Swedru-Winneba road.
Interestingly, the NPP does not seem to be bogged by the immediate bye-elections at Navrongo Central, although our investigations have shown that it is the immediate obsession of other parties that have declared to contest.
Investigations at Gomoa Ekwamkrom over the weekend where the NPP elected Mr. Alex Evans Amoah as its candidate for the Gomoa East bye-elections reveal that the party has drawn up a novelty master plan to take the Gomoa East Constituency by storm.
Mr. Amoah polled 41 votes to beat his closest challenger, Mr. Richmond Sam Quarm, who had 33 votes. Miss Baaba Otoo came third with 10 votes whiles Mr. Isaac K. Ahomah Armah polled 6 votes.
According to our roving reporter, the all time master plan of a campaign will be unveiled next week at Gomoa Potsin, which incidentally is the home town of the party?s candidate.
Our reporter who covered the NPP congress under cover, bumped into series of discussions involving some key elements of the party who promised delegates that the party would rehabilitate and tar three major roads, before the April 8th bye-elections.
These are the Gomoa Awomerew through to Gomoa Potsin and Gomoa Afransi to Ankamu junction roads. The third, the Winneba Junction-Agona Swedru road, runs through a cluster of Gomoa villages, which include, Nyarkoadze, Osamkrom, Abaasa, Abonyi, Mangoase, Asebu, Jukwa, Brofoyedru and Gomoa Ekwamkrom, all in the Gomoa East Constituency.
The latter choice, sources at the Ekwamkrom congress said was informed by the ?fact that Hon. Akyeampong died on that road. It will be done in memory of the late MP?. Furthermore, thanks to the bye-elections, almost all villages with no electricity in the constituency are likely to be connected to the national grid before the April 8th election. The first village to benefit from the special electricity exercise, sources in the party say, is Gomoa Lome.
Our Reporter, Kobina Annobil, found out that Gomoa Lome was refused electricity by the past government, because indigenes from the village were perceived as sympathizers of the then opposition NPP. Interestingly, Kobina Annobil found out on his rounds at Gomoa Lome and its surrounding areas that all other seven villages that surround Gomoa Lome have electricity. The NPP also intends to send telephone facilities to Gomoa East before the bye-elections. Information reaching this paper from other reliable sources speaks of a bicycle invasion at the Gomoa East constituency to facilitate easy movement of party officials and agents who have been charged to conduct a house-to-house campaign.
Other stakeholders and opinion leaders from the area are likely to enjoy from the bicycle booty. Yet beneath the apparent over exploitation of its incumbency, as we found out, is the untiring and satisfactory performance of the late Emmanuel Akyeampong, which may goad the NPP on to victory. The late Akyeampong, our investigations reveal was a darling of almost all the villages that constitute the Gomoa East Constituency. He attends almost every gathering and meets every week with Chiefs on how to develop the Gomoa State.
The late MP is on record to have bought 100 bags of cement to construct electricity poles for villages that do not have electricity. We learnt from our rounds in about seven villages that the late MP used part of the allotted Assembly Common Fund to seek the welfare of his constituents, especially those who cannot provide for their wards in schools. At Gomoa Manso, our man Annobil, found out that all classrooms were furnished with enough furniture, sometimes even in excess, whiles other pupils have also been provided with school uniforms.
