Ayawaso East Town Hall Meeting: Parliamentary candidates fail to show up

The two parliamentary candidates for the Ayawaso East Constituency in the Greater Accra region failed to show up for a town hall meeting in Nima.

They are Mr Naser Toure Mahama, Member of Parliament for Ayawaso East and Mr Peter Mireku, parliamentary candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mr Andrews Naabeh, a member of the St Kizito Catholic Church of the Archdiocesan Justice and Peace Commission (JPC), host of the town hall meeting, told the Ghana News Agency that, it was unfortunate that the parliamentary candidates could not participate in the meeting because he sent the invitation letters to them earlier and made the necessary follow ups.

"I sent the letters as early as November 3, 2020, to their offices and on a weekly basis, I go there not less than three times", he said.

Mr Naabeh said he called Mr Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary candidate, and he promised to honour the invitation but was nowhere to be seen.

On the NPP parliamentary candidate, Mr Naabeh said the candidate assured him on Saturday, November 21, 2020, of his presence but upon his follow ups on Sunday morning prior to the event, the candidate said he had to attend to an equally important issue but would make it.

However, the NPP candidate came to the programme after the end of the event, when all the participants had left.

The meeting, organized by the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, under the Archdiocesan JPC was to promote community participation in local governance and development.

It was on the theme: "The Role of Parliament, Local Authorities and Citizens' Participation in Community Development".

The objective of the programme was to engage members of the public within the communities, local authorities and Parliamentary candidates to educate and discuss the theme.

Very Reverend Father Nicholas Larsey, the Parish Priest, St Kizito Catholic Church, who was to deliver the keynote address on the theme, expressed displeasure about the absence of the Parliamentary candidates.

He said as part his keynote address, he was to find out from the candidates how they intended to educate the community in ensuring peace during, before and after the elections, but could not read the speech because of their absence.

Rev Fr Larsey advised the participants, which were mainly members of the Church to be ambassadors of peace and avoid any untoward situation that would mar the December polls.

A speech read on behalf of Hajia Salma Mohammed Sani Adams-Kuta, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly, commended President Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo for granting the constituency a Municipality status, which had resulted in the increment of developmental projects.

She said the Assembly was complementing the effort of the government to ensure the successful implementation of the free Senior High School policy and the ongoing rehabilitation projects in the community.

Some of the participants urged political candidates vying for positions to only promise what they can deliver to build the confidence of the citizenry.

Other dignitaries present were Mr Thomas Abobi Mensah, Chairman for the event, Mr William Adjei, member of the Justice and Peace Committee of St Kizito Catholic Church, and Mr Abu Awuvami, Presiding Member, Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly, who read the speech on behalf of the MCE, Mr Olabode Williams, the NDC Constituency Chairman, Ayawaso East.