Samia Nkrumah, the only daughter of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, is considering contesting the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem parliamentary seat on the ticket of her father’s Convention People’s Party (CPP), sources close to the party have told Daily Guide.
Samia, who is based in Italy, would be picking the party’s nomination forms the moment she arrives in Ghana by the end of February, the sources indicated. Samia is said to have confirmed her interest in the seat, seeing it as an opportunity to reconnect with her country, people and the land of her birth.
“It is true that as Nkrumah’s offspring, we would always stand as symbols of inspiration to people who admire Nkrumah, and believe in what he stood for. But facts are mere symbols if they are not translated into concrete ideas and actions. The decision to contest is not mine alone to make. It has to involve the party and other stakeholders,” she was quoted by sources close to her.The CPP has already opened nominations for its members who want to contest the parliamentary elections, and three people have so far gone for the KEEA forms. The sitting MP, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom would be contesting the presidential elections this year, and is reported to be scheming heavily to ensure that his party retains the seat.
Speaking to Daily Guide, Dr. Nduom said he was aware Samia had shown an interest in the KEEA seat. “It is welcome news that Nkrumah’s daughter wants to replace me as MP at a time I want to replace her father as President,” he said. He expressed the hope that she would formalize her intention and pick nomination forms to contest the primary.Dr. Nduom opposed the assertion that Samia is not a resident of KEEA, and that she is only capitalizing on her father’s name and fame to contest a parliamentary seat that had always been won by the CPP. He said that was far from the truth and that the late Osagyefo’s daughter only “wants to make a contribution to a community that had been helpful to her father in the past. It would be a competitive one, and she would have to contest the primaries like any other person that has an interest in the seat.”
The CPP presidential candidate explained further that the 1992 Constitution allows that anyone who “hails from” a constituency can legitimately contest and be elected as its Member of Parliament. “Nkrumah stayed in Elmina and actually lived there. That was where he met and married his first wife and gave birth to Francis, a half brother to Samia. Until recently, when the state made their mother’s house at Cantonments available, Samia and her brothers have always resided in their house at Elmina anytime they came home,” Dr Nduom said. He said Samia had always spoken publicly about her wish to settle in Ghana. Currently, she resides in Italy where she makes a living from lecturing, consultancy and journalism. So far, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has elected Nana Ato Arthur, the Central Regional Minister as its candidate and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has also elected a foreign-based businessman to go in for the seat.
Samia and her brothers, Gamel and Sekou, were children residing with their mother at the Flag Staff House when the military overthrew her father in a coup on February 24, 1966. Their mother, Fathia, later left with them to resettle in Egypt. She has since stayed, schooled and worked in various parts of the world. The former first President’s children have frequently visited Ghana on countless occasions, and her younger brother, Sekou, who resides in Accra, quite recently caused a stir in political circles when he announced his decision to join the NDC.
