Parliamentary candidates for New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Keta constituency parliamentary elections in the Volta Region have disregarded this year’s Inter-party dialogue and debate organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).
The candidates are Mr Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey of the NDC and Mr Courage Hope Goldberg-Grimm Lekettey of the NPP.
Togbi Hatsu lll, Anloga NCCE Director, who was the moderator of the programmes, explained to the Ghana News Agency, in an interview that the two candidates could not inform the organisers about their inability to abstain from the programme.
“Both candidates did not give any excuse either officially or unofficially and we can’t tell why they have decided to boycott this important exercise,” he stated.
He stated that all the four candidates, who were contesting in the race were notified about the intended debate that would create the platform to engage with the public on the various manifestos and plans for the area.
The exercise also gave the public the opportunity to ask candidates questions on how they would improve the areas which include Agriculture, economy, education, infrastructure development, health, employment, among others.
Mr Stanley Courage Dugah, an independent candidate, during the debate stated that most priority would be placed on education, health, and agriculture to impact positively in the constituents.
“I am the best candidate to win this election since the two major parties, the NPP and NDC have ignored our people’s plight for far too long. They have taken my people for granted and am bringing positivity through lobbying to change the narratives.”
Mr Israel Goka, an Educationist, who represented Mr Yayra Kwaku Kwashie, the parliamentary candidates for Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), accused NPP and NDC of neglecting the area for the past years.
He added that, “our manifesto has captured and would improve areas such as sports, road infrastructure, education among others, and l tell you to vote for a competent leader but not an unreliable politician.”
Some constituents who took part in the exercise expressed satisfaction and thanked the NCCE for the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the candidates whilst others were disappointed about the absent of both NPP and NDC candidates without any reason.
Other supporters, GNA spoke with expressed hope that their various candidates will win the 2024 Keta parliamentary seat to change the fortune of the residents for the best.
GNA