Some concerned youth of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to consider reappointing Joshua Kwaku Abonkra as the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Pru East District.
The youth group known as the Yeji Kou Concern Youth of NPP says despite the earlier rejection of Joshua Kwaku Abonkra, his impeccable record in the Pru East Constituency, one of the orphan constituencies in the Bono East Region makes him a formidable force to reckon with as far as the political fortunes of the party are concerned.
The appeal comes on the back of the rejection of Joshua Kwaku Abonkra by the Assembly Members on Friday, October 1, 2021.
According to the Chairman of the group, Emmanuel Akwesi Benyigne, the rejection of the nominee comes as a shock because continuity is paramount in our body politic and the only way to form a strong force for the NPP towards the 2024 election.
“We have learnt with shock the outright rejection of the nominee of the President, Hon. Joshua Kwaku Abonkra as DCE for Pru East.”
Making a strong case for his reappointment, Emmanuel Akwesi Benyigne bemoaned it would be unfair and politically suicidal not to reappoint Abonkra as his rejection took a partisan twist with all the Assembly Members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) who have the majority in the assembly resolving to reject him due to his threat to their political fortunes.
He alleged that their fears have been confirmed as two days before the confirmation; the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Peter Boamah Otukunor, the Bono East Regional Chairman, Unas Owusu together with the Member of Parliament for the area, Dr. Kwabena Donkor were in town and held series of secret meetings with the Assembly Members to orchestrate their plan.
“It is fact that the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Peter Otukunor with the Regional Chairman were in town together with the MP, Dr. Kwabena Donkor two days ahead of the elections. It is not for anything that they came to organize meetings upon meetings. Our source indicates that they came to connive and convince the NDC Assembly Members to vote No since Joshua Kwaku Abonkra is seen a threat to the candidature of the MP and the NDC come 2024.”
Joshua Kwaku Abonkra was rejected by the Assembly Members of the Pru East District after he polled ten votes out of twenty-three valid votes representing forty-three percent meaning he failed to cross the mandatory fifty percent threshold to qualify him for another round of voting and will have to be reappointed by the president.