Member of parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has called on MP aspirants in the constituency to prioritize helping build back the constituency following the Akosombo dam spillage instead of canvassing for votes.
According to him, this is the time to put “partisanship aside” and come together as community leaders to find solutions and relief to the beloved constituents who have been rendered destitute and made pathetic refugees in classrooms by the VRA-induced floods.
“Honestly, I don’t think we should be campaigning in North Tongu at this time when we are faced with the worst catastrophe in a lifetime which has displaced 12,633 including some 6,100 children, destroyed over 1,500 houses, damaged 53 schools & claimed properties/livelihoods worth billions of Cedis.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Reacting to the decision by a University of Ghana lecturer, Dr. John Saviour Yaw Eleblu, to contest as MP for the area, Mr Ablakwa stated that he refuses to be drawn into any “partisan campaign” at this crucial hour.
He explained that it is “insensitive, callous, offensive and an unforgivable betrayal” to do so in face of the devastation and hardship endured by the affected residents of the flooding.
“We must rather campaign to save our dear constituents.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Dr. John Saviour Yaw Eleblu, a senior lecturer at the Biotechnology Centre and Coordinator of Research Programmes at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, is set to challenge Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for the North Tongu parliamentary seat in the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections.
Dr. Eleblu expressed his optimism about unseating the incumbent.
“North Tongu deserves a real MP; somebody who will represent the people and lobby for jobs and development projects. Not somebody who is becoming like a vigilante chasing people for budget overruns.”
Dr. John Saviour Yaw Eleblu
NPP poised to win North Tongu seat
Dr. Eleblu highlighted the need for effective representation and a focus on local issues. He reckoned that the opposition national Democratic Congress (NDC) has not done anything to lift the people of North Tongu and Volta Region out of poverty.
Additionally, he stated that it is only the NPP that cares, and as such, the constituents must begin to “reward the party with votes”.
Meanwhile, Dr. Eleblu, flanked by party executives and supporters, conveyed his determination to bring about positive change in North Tongu.
Asserting his commitment to transformational leadership, he outlined specific plans for the constituency.
“I am very ready to change the narrative of NPP in North Tongu and bring hope to the party folks in the constituency. I will establish business development centres in all the electoral areas, and residents will be supported to create businesses and grow them for wealth creation.”
Dr. John Saviour Yaw Eleblu
Furthermore, the UG lecturer vowed to turn the constituency into an agricultural hub.
He equally expressed his intention to facilitate the establishment of three Technical, Vocational, Engineering, and Technology (TVET) centres to empower the youth and foster entrepreneurship.
“I will change our constituency into an agricultural hub to feed North Tongu and the entire country and also for export.”
Dr. John Saviour Yaw Eleblu
READ ALSO: GIBA Laments Obsolete Laws In Prosecuting Violators Of Media Regulations
