Hawa Steals the Show At Shai/Osudoku Primaries

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Ms Hawa Yakubu on Saturday called on the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to remember the millions of Ghanaians who suffered for the party during its days in opposition, before they get frustrated.

Addressing party supporters at the NPP Shai/Osudoku primary over the weekend, Ms Yakubu, urged them to be thankful to and remember Mr. Samuel Ayettey, one of the last two contestants who opted out of the race for Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Ms. Gloria Akuffo minutes before balloting began.

She said: "It is not just Samuel but there are millions of Ghanaians who suffered with us during those days and either we have forgotten them or we are on our way to.

"But for some of them, if we don't do something too quickly, it will be too late because they will be so frustrated. So I want to urge our dynamic national Organizer to take note of those who suffered when we needed it."

Madam Yakubu, the 'Iron lady' of Ghana's Politics, averted a situation that could have divided the NPP in the two traditional areas of Shai and Osudoku and brought a happy end to the rather sticky events in the run-up to the constituency primary on Saturday.

The Deputy Minister was declared the party's parliamentary candidate for the constituency for the December elections just before balloting could start when Mr. Ayettey, yielded to Hawa's intercession and opted out of the race.

Madam Yakubu, who had arrived at the venue of the congress ahead of other party officials, disembarked from her vehicle and joined the local party members to dance for almost 30 minutes, moved to the room where the programme was being held and stayed for another 30 minutes, then it was all over - Mr. Ayettey who had stood his grounds for months not to step down, came to meet Ms Akuffo who had stayed in her car all this while, with a hug.

Although, Ms. Akuffo was set to win the election even if Mr. Ayettey had maintained his stance, the people of the Shai traditional area who had stood behind Ayettey all this while would have created a headache for the ruling party.

Ayettey told the audience that he had, until then, refused to bow to persuasion to step aside for Ms. Akuffo because "I have some unrecognized potentials that I had wanted to offer the constituency, a potential which party officials had not noticed despite all the struggles I went through with the NPP."

However, Ms. Akuffo has vowed to work hard and change the once National Democratic Congress (NDC) stronghold to an NPP stronghold. "I am going to work with everybody," she said.