Group picks forms for Oppong Nkrumah to contest seat
Members of Akyemmansa Youth For Oppong Nkrumah (AYFON), a pressure group within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Akyem Ofoase-Ayirebi Constituency in the Eastern Region, have collected nomination forms for Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, a renowned broadcaster, to contest the party’s upcoming primaries.
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Members of the group last weekend held a news conference at Ofoase, the constituency capital, to explain to the general public why they wanted Mr Oppong Nkrumah to contest the parliamentary election on the ticket of the NPP and become their legislator come 2017.
Earlier in the day, the AYFON members had marched through the principal streets of Ofoase with placards, some of which read: “Oppong Nkrumah, the choice of the people”; “Listen to our call, Oppong Nkrumah”; “We want a charismatic leader like Oppong Nkrumah”; “No Oppong Nkrumah, no vote” and “Oppong Nkrumah can win the floating votes.”
The convener of the event, Mr Paul Asamoah, who addressed the press, said over the years, the Akyemmansa District had seen limited development—bad roads, unsafe water, poor quality education and poor health care so they needed a dynamic leader like Mr Oppong Nkrumah to turn things around for them.
He said members of AYFON had decided to campaign for Mr Oppong Nkrumah to win the parliamentary seat for them since they believed that he would represent their best interest and fight for the improvement of the constituency and the district.
Mr Asamoah said Mr Oppong Nkrumah, who hailed from Akyem Anyinase and Ajobue, knew their key problems and had even tackled many of them in his personal capacity.
He stated: “Mr Oppong Nkrumah has over the years known our challenges as farmers struggling to cultivate our farms, parents struggling to see our children through school, people struggling to get medical care and communities struggling with infrastructure”.
Mr Asamoah said everybody attested to Mr Oppong Nkrumah’s humility and serviceable qualities, adding that he is a man of vision and competence who never brags about personal achievements.
He stressed that AYFON was aware of many private companies, organisations, political parties and even constituencies which were anxious to have Mr Oppong Nkrumah so the group would not sit aloof to lose such a genius, hence the decision to encourage him to be their parliamentarian come 2017.
Mr Asamoah, therefore, enjoined Mr Oppong Nkrumah to listen to their calls and contest as the NPP candidate for the Ofoase-Ayirebi constituency in the 2016 general election and represent them in parliament.
“Even after the primaries, we shall work diligently with the NPP structures in the constituency to campaign for Nana Akufo Addo and Mr Oppong Nkrumah to be elected with handsome margins in the December 2016 general election to ensure that not only would the NPP retain the seat, but do so with a bigger margin that will help secure the flagstaff house as well”, he emphasised.
The immediate past constituency Chairman of the NPP, Mr Kwaku Sarfo, hailed the decision of AYFON and promised to support them to ensure the success of their plans.
posters of the former host of Joy FM's Super Morning Show, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, have started flying on social media, as he is reportedly gearing up to contest the upcoming NPP parliamentary primaries in the Ofoase-Ayirebi Constituency of the Eastern Region.
Mr Oppong-Nkrumah, who did not deny the report when it emerged last week, is yet to comment on the development.
He left Joy FM in January 2014 to pursue other interests and is reportedly lacing his boots for a political career.
If he sails through the party's primaries, he may come up against the incumbent MP David Oppong-Kusi, a 57-year-old Principal Quantity Surveyor, who polled some 19,025 votes, representing 53.95 per cent of total votes cast, to win the seat for the NPP in 2012. Both face stiff competition from one John Obiri Yeboah, a freight forwarder.
Born on April 5, 1982, to Mr Kwame Oppong Nkrumah, Head of Treasury of the National Investment Bank, and Mrs Felicia Oppong Nkrumah, a teacher, he hails from Abora Aboase near Saltpond in the Central Region.
He had his secondary education at the Pope John Secondary in Koforidua and studied for his first degree at the University of Cape Coast.
He subsequently enrolled for a Master’s programme in Marketing at the University of Ghana.
He joined JOY FM in 2007 as an intern after being spotted by Multimedia Broadcasting CEO, Mr Kwesi Twum, while making a presentation at the University of Cape Coast.
