ONMA NCCE Debate: NDC, CPP Candidates Push For Votes

There was drama at the Gethsemane Presby Church at Achimota in Accra on Friday when the New Patriotic Party’s Parliamentary candidate for Okaikwei North Constituency was conspicuously missing at a parliamentary debate organized by the Okaikwei North Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).

It is unclear what might have taken the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP,) Fuseini Issah from the event organizers say, he was duly invited.

Supporters of the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC’s) Parliamentary Candidate, Mrs. Theresa Lardi Awuni had vowed to prevent their candidate from participating in the program if Mr. Issah does not show up for the debate.

The supporters clad in NDC T-shirts and other party paraphernalia carrying placards some of which read:”24 Years is Enough, Vote Wisely, Vote JM,” “Obaanaa; Mama Thess for Community IT Centre”; Okaikwei is Tired of NPP” among others said the NPP’s candidate is dodging the debate because he has nothing to tell the constituents.

Debate

The event however saw Mrs. Awuni coming face to face with the Convention People’s Party’s (CPP) Abdulhamidu Ibrahim Futa (AKA Sir Futa).

The duo were quizzed on their party’s position and policies for the electorates on health, education, employment, infrastructural development and what in their view is the three most important needs of the people in a final push for votes days to the election.

On health the NDC’s candidate poised for victory in the polls said the NDC has a comprehensive plan for education including to abolish the shift system, building classrooms, motivate teachers and also build dormitories for the Achimota school.

Mr. Futa for his part said CPP has plans to support the education of children in the Constituency insisting every child has a right to education.

He said the CPP government will promote national cohesion and corporation by encouraging the boarding school system to enhance peaceful coexistence among the citizenry.

Mr. Futa said there would be adult education for adults who missed the opportunity to go to school.

Mrs. Awuni on health stated that but for the construction of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) by the Mahama government, the management of COVID-19 by the NPP government would have been a disaster.

This she noted among other things that it is indicative of the fact that the NDC has better plans for the country than the NPP administration.

Mrs. Awuni said the incoming NDC government would build a CHIP compound at Christian Village and provide free primary health care for all.

Mr. Futa sharing his party’s position on the subject said the CPP’s focus in respect of health would be on the nutrition of the citizenry.

He argued that with the focus on better nutrition, the party would form Ghana National Nutrition Board to cater for the nutritional needs of the people which can lead to the prevention of many diseases.

For employment, Mrs. Awuni said NDC would focus on creating skill training jobs for the youth adding “the NDC believes in job creation, if the youth are employed crime rate will be down…”

The CPP Parliamentary aspirant described as laughable claims that more jobs would be created by the NDC government when the same party which has been in government before collapsed industries established by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Earlier, Mrs. Vivienne Achel, the Municipal NCCE Director in an address said the debate would ensure issue-based campaigns and also make the MPs more accountable to the people stressing that “the program is also to enable electorates make more informed choices at the polls.”