Sammy Binfoh Darkwah
A former President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Sammy Binfoh Darkwah, who contested the Adansi Asokwa parliamentary primaries of the governing New Patriotic Party, and lost to the incumbent KT Hammond, has called on members of the party to rally behind the MP in maintaining the seat.
“The campaign culture may have metastasized into acrimony and resentments, which may have painted an undesirable portrait of the constituency, but there is no better time than now to put these developments, which are part of human endeavours in the struggle for political power, to bed and work towards a common purpose of curing the chronic underdevelopment of our constituency,” he stated.
Unity
In a concession statement issued yesterday, Mr Binfoh stated that this is the time the party needs to “get more united as a house as we pursue a common aim of fighting the opposition NDC in the constituency in our attempt to consolidate the gains the party has made since December 2000.”
“I admonish all delegates, executives of the party at all levels to give Hon KT Hammond an unalloyed support like we have done in previous years in order to ensure that the party retains the seat in the upcoming general polls in December,” he added.
Mr Binfoh stated that though the results were not what he and his and campaign team had envisaged, he accepts it, adding, “the delegates in Adansi-Asokwa, who are the rightful kingmakers, have spoken and it remains a decision that myself and my team respect and welcome whole-heartedly.”
“Hon K T Hammond has emerged victorious in this in-house contest, and I say congratulations to him but it is something I consider to be a victory for the party and constituency as a whole,” he added.
Appreciation
Mr Binfoh expressed his appreciation to the party for giving him the opportunity to contest in the primaries and for “ensuring a free and a fair contest in the constituency, for at least the first time”.
“Like many others, the decision to contest as a parliamentary candidate for the Adansi-Asokwa constituency did not come as an easy one. Though a new entrant, the support I enjoyed from all party elements and citizens in the Adansi-Asokwa constituency towards what I term “The Binfoh Agenda” was overwhelming, and that was evident in the number of votes I had on Saturday,” he stated.
