I am not a political novice - NPP parliamentary candidate for Amasaman

The newly elected Parliamentary candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Amasaman, Yahya Kassim Atta, has shot down claims that he is a novice and politically inexperienced.

He stated that he has been a part of the party for years and has made various financial contributions to its success in the constituency.

He also refuted the assertion that he was brought in to contest and unseat the incumbent MP Akwasi Owusu Afrifa-Mensah.

He averred that when Akwasi Owusu Afrifa-Mensah contested and won as the parliamentary candidate, he supported him financially to win the 2020 parliamentary election.

However, the constituents have told us that they no longer want him as their MP and if we should file him as a candidate, they will vote against us.

“When Afrifa-Mensah won the contest to contest in 2020, I supported him. I supported him financially and sponsored his campaign with T-shirts and motorbikes other items. Hajia Fati was the one who sent the items, on my behalf.

He also disclosed on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm that the incumbent MP has congratulated him and promised to support him towards victory in 2024.

“After the election and the results were declared, he was the first person I called on Sunday, we spoke for length and he congratulated me.”

He touted his contributions to the party, stressing that he was part of those who financially contributed to the victory of the NPP in the 2020 parliamentary and presidential elections.

KAS, as he is affectionately called, disclosed that the chiefs, residents, and other stakeholders in the constituency threatened to vote against the MP because they felt he had disappointed them.

To help retain the seat, he sacrificed to contest in the primary so that the NPP would not lose the seat.

“A survey or research was conducted on the constituency, and the outcome was that the NPP was going to lose the seat. Nobody brought me in. I realised our seat was shaky and we were going to lose it. We therefore needed a new face to ensure that we retained the seat.

The community, pastors, chiefs, and everybody else had threatened to vote against the MP. So we needed a new face to help the NPP retain the seat. They claimed Afrifa had disappointed them, and so we needed a new face to help us retain the seat. That is why I contested and won. The constituents have promised to vote massively for the NPP, he told host Kwabena Agyapong.

“The survey was done, and it reached the Jubilee House. As someone who has contributed immensely to the party and worked with the chiefs and people in the constituency, they approached me and asked that I contest since I am someone who understands them better than anyone. That was why I contested,” he added.