PPP commiserates with Eva Lokko’s family
The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has declared three days of commiseration with the family of Madam Eva Naa Merle Lokko's family following her demise.
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The 2016 Presidential Candidate of the party, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom has also postponed his National Broadcast to tell Ghanaians what to expect from a PPP administration planned for today October 8, 2012.
These were contained in a press release signed by the party’s national chairman, Nii Allotey Brew Hammond, in Accra yesterday.
The party, according to the statement, is also asking members to suspend campaigning to observe a three-day mourning period from Monday, October 10, 2016 until Thursday, October 13, 2016.
Meanwhile, the PPP has opened a condolence book from yesterday at the party's Asylum Down Headquarters for signing.
According to Nii Alotey Brew-Hammond, the decision had been taken following the death of the party’s one-time running mate, Eva Lokko, who died on Thursday.
Nii Brew-Hammond said the party would soon communicate what it intended to do after “we have met the family of Ms Lokko and sought their decision concerning the burial”.
Nduom breaks down
Earlier, the founder and 2016 presidential nominee of the Progressive People’s Party, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, in a Facebook post, also called off his 2016 electioneering.
In the post titled “a principled woman”, Dr Nduom said he has “lost the enthusiasm and the vim,” in his campaign due to the death of Ms Lokko who partnered him in the 2012 presidential election. I need to take a break.”
The scheduled broadcast he was to make to the nation today cannot happen.
“ I need a few days off. There is more to life than politics,” he said in the post.
In his post, Dr Nduom stated, “I turned on my phone after criss-crossing Upper East yesterday, from Tempane to Chiana to see a rush of text messages and phone calls with the sad, sad news that Eva Lokko has passed away.
“I did not have much to say during the last campaign stop of the day in Bolga. I had lost the enthusiasm and the vim. I and Eva had promised each other not too long ago to put our health and personal lives before politics.
She chose to serve the Ga people by representing them through Osu Korle Klottey in Parliament – that choice will now remain a dream deferred. Eva took strong, principled positions and stuck to them. She was a strong voice, always reminding PPP youth to stick to our message, particularly our stand on incorruptible leadership”.
“She was against insulting, disrespectful language and made that known to all. The PPP must be different in a positive way, she always said. I need to take a break. The scheduled broadcast I was to make to the nation this Saturday cannot happen. I need a few days off. There is more to life than politics,” he stated.
Reactions
The spokesperson for Nana Akufo-Addo, presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mustapha Hamid, has described the late Madam Eva Lokko as an astute female politician who left behind indelible marks for others to emulate.
In an interview with Kwabena Agyapong, host of Eboboba on Rainbow Radio, Hamid said the late politician could not be forgotten when it came to broadcasting in Ghana.
He noted that the former Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) contributed immensely to broadcasting in Ghana. ''She has contributed her quota to the development of Ghana and I think her contribution to the development of this country needs to be rewarded so young people will learn from her example, be patriotic and serve this country selflessly’’.
For his part, the Eastern Regional Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), who also doubles as the parliamentary candidate for the Afram Plains Constituency, Mark Oliver Kevor, described her as a selfless leader, hardworking and dedicated. He said the country had lost a gem considering her contribution to the state.
He encouraged the Progressive People's Party (PPP), the family and Ghanaians to take heart and pray for the late politician to rest in perfect peace. Madam Eva Lokko died last Thursday evening after a short illness.