A group of activists of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the party’s stronghold, Volta Region, have made a clarion call on former President John Mahama and leading contender for the 2024 presidential ticket of the party, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, to support a bid by former Greater Accra regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashitey, to become the party’s national Chairman.
The activists, led by popular party afficionado, Wisdom Dzakadzi of Agbozume, made their call in a statement that was signed and released on Tuesday.
“We have experienced the leadership of Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo and that of Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia and believe that the wind of change blowing in the country naturally calls for the change to start within the party of change itself, the NDC.
“We are therefore calling on all party members and especially our leaders, former President John Mahama and Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, who we eagerly look forward to electing as our presidential candidate for 2024, to get on the change agenda and give all their support to Hon. Nii Armah Ashitey,” the statement read.
It had the signature of Dzakadzi as chief activist, and the signature of 24 others as co-signers.
It is coming at a time that the NDC is gearing up to elect the rest of its executives after it recently completed the election of constituency executives.
In the upcoming national executives election, incumbent national Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, is running for re-election while he is being fiercely challenged by incumbent General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia alias General Mosquito.
However, as the Volta NDC activists point out, “these same two people were in charge as the top leaders of our party when we lost by 1million votes to the NPP in 2016 and then lost by 500,000 votes to the same NPP in 2020. We particularly strongly believe that we won the 2020 elections however, because of their weak leadership, we did not get into government. Why should we make them leaders again. we need change.”
That change, they said, is available in “Hon. Nii Amarh Ashitey.”
The group tout the former Minister as “richly experienced,” pointing out that he has been MP for Korley Klottey for 8 years, became Employment Minister under former President Mills and MCE for 8 years.
“Hon. Nii Armah Ashitey holds the title as the only MCE for Tema who stayed in office for eight years,” they underscored.
They pointed out that, “he can be trusted because he is incorruptible due to the fact that he is a self-made man who is a Maritime expert, and entrepreneur.”
In addition to being a Maritime expert who has employed many seamen, Hon. Nii Armah Ashitey is also a forex bureau operator and a Lawyer with degrees from Legon and the KNUST. When former President Rawlings was looking for enterprising Ghanaians to engage in building the country, he discovered Hon. Nii Armah Ashitey and appointed him Mayor of Tema at a time that Ashiaman and Kpone Katamanso were under Tema.
Hon. Nii Armah Ashitey was Mayor for eight years and in the period, he paved many of Tema’s roads and supported the building of the Maritime University at Nungua.
He would later become MP for Korley Klottey on the ticket of the NDC for 8 years and also serve as Employment Minister under Mills.
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John Dramani Mahama