Sheik I.C. Quaye, the former Greater Accra Regional Minister, has charged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) executives and supporters to let the death of Mr Anyetei Ashong alias “Gibraltar” galvanise them to regain the La constituency seat.
The NPP lost the La Dadekotopon Constituency to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2004 general election.
Sheik Quaye gave the advice when he addressed a cross-section of NPP sympathisers at a church service to mourn with the family of the late Anyetei Ashong.
He said he remembers during their youthful days, when Anyetei and himself showed commitment to help build the then United Party (UP) in the Greater Accra Region.
He said in those days, it was the Ga people who used the UP tradition to confront the policies of the whites in Accra before subsequently spreading to all the regions.
Sheik Quaye said he sometimes felt uncomfortable when people refer to the NPP as an Akan party because the party is made up of all tribes, who are playing their part to establish a strong and formidable tradition.
He recounted the days of the Protection Detention Act, used by the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah to put prominent innocent people behind bars, particularly politicians for dissent.
He mentioned Mr Ashie Nikoi, an economist, who was imprisoned for organising cocoa farmers into a body now known as the Cocoa Marketing Board, as well as Yoomobi Akrong Nabi, Nii Nai Tetteh, Osang Roy Tokyo and the rest, who were also victims of the detention act.
Sheik Quaye said Sergeant Adjetey, who was shot and killed in the 28th February shooting incident and Ako Adjei of the “Big Six”, were all sons of La, who fought in the liberation struggle to establish the party.
Mr Frank Davies, the NPP Dadekotopon Constituency Chairman launched an “Operation win back the Golden Fleece 2016” to kick-start the campaign and called for hard work.
He urged the NPP parliamentary contestants to campaign decently, devoid of insults and insinuations and to see themselves as one family.
Sheik Quaye, who led a delegation of party officials, presented a cash amount of GH¢1,000.00 on behalf of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the flagbearer of the party, whilst the National Secretariat and the Constituency also donated GH¢1,000.00 each and some assorted drinks towards the funeral of the late Anyetei Ashong.