Mahama Ayariga’s only contender pulls out over pressure from NDC top brass

Member of Parliament for Bawku Central will now heave a sigh as his only contender in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) primary in the constituency, Musah Abdulai, has pulled out of the race.

The one-time former municipal chief executive of Bawku announced his withdrawal Thursday following several appeals to him by the “uppermost echelons of power” within the party.

Regional and national executives, as well as some opinion leaders of NDC, were said to have impressed on Mr Abdulai to step down for Mr Mahama to go unopposed for the unity of the party.

“I considered their admonition, wise counsel and advice as superior or overriding to my own parliamentary ambition,” he said in a statement announcing his withdrawal from the constituency primary.

Mr Abdulai explained he resolved to put the interest of the party first in taking the decision to step aside for the Mr Ayaraga to attempt to win the Bawku Central seat for the MP for the…time.

He has meanwhile apologised to his supporters for breaking their hearts in the wake of his withdrawal from the primary.

“I am appealing to all my supporters in the name of the Almighty God/Allah to rally behind me and my campaign outreach team by buying into the decision I have taken in the overall interest of the party— which is unity and love for all” he explained.

The former MCE also urged the party supporters within the constituency to conduct vigorous campaign for the party to win the 2020 general elections, but advised the use of intemperate language.

He said the party’s campaign messages should dwell on how the NDC is well poised to rescue Ghanaians “from the severe hardships occasioned by the plummeting national economy and redeem the image” of Ghana, which he said has been dented internationally by the “unprecedented spate of human rights abuses and insecurity” under the Akufo-Addo government.

“The national economy is in tatters,” he indicated.

According to him, none of the campaign promises made by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the run up to the 2016 general elections has been implemented to the satisfaction of Ghanaians.

For him, it was clear that the NPP “captured power through lies in 2016”.

“Ghanaians are living in fear in their own country as armed robbery cases and reports of kidnappings in many places among other social vices continue to expose the cluelessness of this NPP government in an alarming dimension.

“… the NDC will recapture power in 2020 with an overwhelming majority of the seats in Parliament to continue with the Better Ghana Agenda from where former President John Dramani Mahama left off in 2016,” he said.