HON JOSEPH KWADWO OFORI – MP AKAN CONSTITUENCY
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY HON. JOSEPH KWADWO OFORI IN COMMEMORATION OF HIS SURVIVAL OF AN ATTACK ONE YEAR AGO AND THE INAUGURATION OF HIS EXECUTIVES.
Mr. Chairman, Representatives of the various branches, Friends from the media, all protocol observed, Ladies and Gentlemen. You are all welcome to my one year anniversary celebration of my survival of the armed robbery attack on me at my residence in Accra and I will like to use this platform to introduce my constituency executives to the gathering.
First and foremost, I will like to thank the Lord for his mercies, guidance and protection before and after the attack.
Let me thank all of you for taking time out of your busy schedules, to be here. As well as your prayers and support for me, before and after my attack, till date. And I pray it continues.
I will also like to thank the good people of Akan for given me the mandate to represent them in parliament.
Mr. Chairman, invited guest ladies and gentlemen, Ghana as a country has decided from 1992, to use the ballot box in electing our leaders, most especially political leaders. And since 1993 to date, I am the third person to be elected as a member of parliament. The first was Hon. John Kwadwo Gyapong from 1993 to the year 2000. The second was Hon. Rahsid Bawa from 2001 to the year 2004, 2005 to 2008 was again Hon. John John Kwadwo Gyapong and from 2009 till date is me Hon. Joseph Kwadwo Ofori aka Wofa Paye. Let me elaborate a little on how you can enter parliament of Ghana. Per the 1992 constitution, one can enter parliament through two different ways. Either by a political party, or as independent.
From the year 1993 to 2000, Hon John Kwadwo Gyapong went to parliament on the ticket of the NDC and in 2001 to 2004 Hon. Rashid Bawa went to parliament as an independent but aligned himself with the NPP. And in the year 2005 to 2008 again, Hon John Kwadwo Gyapong again went to parliament on the ticket of the NDC. From 2009 to 2012, Hon. Joseph Kwadwo Ofori went to parliament on the ticket of the NDC. From 2013 till date I, Hon. Joseph Kwadwo Ofori is in parliament as an independent member and aligns myself with the NDC. Which was the promise I made to the good people of the Akan constituency during the campaign time and I am still committed to that promise. My reason of putting up my executives in the constituency is as result of the behavior and conduct of some personalities within the NDC in the constituency as well as the region.
Namely, Hon. John Kwadwo Gyapong, Hon. Jacob Alebinde Asogonnde, Mr. Simon Amegashie-Viglo and some others. It has become necessary to mention these names because, Hon. Jacob Alebinde Asogonnde who was not the constituency Chairman nor the Secretary and some people decided to forge or create an NDC letter head and used his, mobile phone number as the contact number that could be contacted. And this was the very letter head that was used to write that petition to the region with false allegations against almost all the constituency executives. And the dangerous or the criminal aspect of the petition was against the late chairman Mr. C .K Kliaty and Mr. RTM Hobenu the constituency Secretary which you can find in the photocopy of the petition distributed today. This is to tell you what is going on in the party. And the title of the petition reads “PETITION AGAINST THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE INDEPENDENT MP ELECT FOR AKAN CONSTITUENCY AND HIS FOLLOWERS IN THE PARTY ACTIVITIES”.
So this is the genesis of the confusion in Akan constituency.
I pause and ask these questions;
1. Were these people not being mischievous or trouble makers? By making false allegations after four months (4) of the general elections.
2. Is it not because they wanted the positions of these former executives?
Today the illegal branch and constituency elections they allege to have held.
3. Who are the people occupying those positions?
4. Are they not signatories to that petition or are they not the front line men who masterminded the forging of those allegations against the former executives?
5. And are they not the same people occupying positions of the people they leveled those allegations against?
6. Is it not because the wanted those positions?
Example;
1. Hon. Jacob Alebinde Asogonnde. Who is he today? Is he not the DCE?
2. Francis Ofori. Is he not the Treasurer?
3. Alhaji Moro Iddrisu. Is he not the Organizer?
4. Hajia Zuberatu. Is she not the Deputy Women Organizer?
5. Hon. Alhaji Rashid Suleman. Is he not the Secretary?
6. Nana Afua Dufie. Is she not the Women Organizer?
I will like to state categorically that Hon. John Kwadwo Gyapong is the one masterminding all this confusions in the Constituency. Simply because the petition stated that the petitioners were his campaign team.
Representatives of the various branches, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen. Someone will like to know why all this statements. We have to make people aware of what is happening in the NDC party. Another person will like to know whether I am the right person to make that statement and my answer is YES! This is so because;
1. I am working with the majority caucus of the parliament and everything affecting the party, I have a say.
2. I pay dues to the Volta caucus as well as the national parliamentary caucus of which some quota of that dues is been use in running both the regional and the national part. As such, I have the right to talk about what is happening in the party. And also because my title was mentioned in the partition. Although, some members of the constituency took the party to court. Which the case is still pending before the Hohoe High Court.
Mr. Chairman, it is high time we let our people understand the meaning of democracy. And not to take political parties as their bonafide properties. I am very sure each of us here joins political parties on his or her own will. And for that matter, for some few people to be thinking that the NDC is their property should be a thing of the past. I am very sure and clear in my mind that NDC as a party won in Akan during the 2012 general elections. But rather the candidate on the party’s ticket as the parliamentary candidate lost and that should not mean that the NDC lost. For the fact of records, NDC as a political party filled 275 candidates throughout the country, but won 147 out of the 275 seats in parliament, so does that mean His Excellency John Dramani Mahama did not win the elections? There are instances in some constituencies that the president won but NPP won the parliamentary seats. A clear case of this was in the Upper East region to be precise Nabdam Constituency the NPP candidate Hon. Boniface Gambila Adagbila pulled 7,097 as the NDC candidate Moses Asaga who also pulled 6,545 yet the President John Mahama pulled a total vote of 7,533. Which means, some NDC supporters voted for the NPP parliamentary candidate.
The ultimate is to get our president elect and get our majority seats in parliament. And for now if we want to talk about members of parliament on the majority side, we are 152. The break downs are us follows.
NDC-147
INDEPENDENT-3
PNC-1
CPP-1
I will like to make things clear that I Joseph Kwadwo Ofori is not the first parliamentarian to contest as independent. There were members of parliament who were independent members of parliament but when their party wanted to protect their seat in their constituency they were allowed to go to their parties primaries and when they won they were allowed to stand on the party’s ticket. And in a clear case is Hon. Joseph Osei-Owusu, of Bekwai constituency in the Ashanti region. He was an independent member of parliament from 2009-2012. But when the party realized the man was actually the people’s choice, he was allowed to contest primaries and stood on the party’s ticket. That was how he secured the seat for the NPP till date.
Is a pity our people do not want us to learn and use practical instances of others for peace and development but rather, they are more interested in spreading rumour and castigating other so they can achieve their selfish gains.
The Article 97, clause 1 sub-section (h) quoted in their petition was quoted wrongly because, that clause is my prerogative and this means I decides what to do. So therefore quoting it to someone is meaningless and unnecessary. And that is why in parliament you can say I have aligned myself or I will work with the majority or the minority.
Mr. Chairman, distinguish ladies and gentlemen, as I celebrate one year (1) of surviving that deadly attack today, I will like to declear to all and sundry that come 2016 if God willing and I’m alive, I will still contest the parliamentary seat. Having it at the back of my mind, the biblical history about Joseph which can be found in (Gen. Chapters 37-47, except 38)
Joseph being the youngest one among his siblings, the brothers planned and sold him out to some Egyptians. Later a false allegation was made against him by Potiphar’s wife and that landed him in jail. And in jail, he was interpreting dreams to other prisoners. And it happened that the prisoner’s dream he interpreted and it came to pass, informed Potiphar when the King had a dream but could not find anyone to interpreter. And so Joseph was called from prison to come and interpret the dream to Potiphar. Which he did perfectly, and the dream came to pass. That was how Joseph was appointed the Agric Minister by the king. Later there was famine in Joseph’s native land, Canaan therefore some of his brothers decided to go purchase grains from Egypt where Joseph was then the Agric Minister. That was how they met their youngest brother they sold years back.
My brothers and sisters gathered here, the lessons I want to throw lights on from this story is that, by my name Joseph and the tribulations am going through till date is what actually happened to Joseph in the bible.
This is so because when I won the primaries in 2008, these very people that are the perpetuators of the confusions in the Akan constituency were the very people that picked camp with the NPP during the campaign time which I nearly lost my life. In 2012 they manipulated so that I do not secure the ticket of the NDC. But since God wants to prove that He is the only mighty one who can enthrone and dethrone I won the 2012 election as independent. After all this, these very people will not stop their greedy and selfish attitude. This has brought as into the situation in which we find ourselves today. This is the more reason why I will not stop the fight until they realize that what they are doing is not right.
I also have the believe in the bible quotation I took during my confirmation at the Kadjebi E.P Church some years back, which reads (I will not die, instead, I will live and proclaim what the Lord has done. Psalm 118:17)
I will want them to know therefore that, I am a covenant child sent from the Lord to live and proclaim His goodness.
RESOLUTION
Mr. Chairman, distinguish ladies and gentlemen, together with my supporters, we will still give the NDC the chance to trying and have the issues resolve on the conditions that,
1. Branch election should be conducted since there were NO branch elections in Akan Constituency. For instance the Kadjebi Post Office where I vote as well as Hon. Gyapong, has almost all of the executives from the house of Hon. Gyapong Kwadwo (family members).
I am by this, challenging that if really the branch elections were held in the constituency then they should provide the following as evidence.
i. Dates when the branch elections were held.
ii. Names of contestants for the various positions.
iii. Results of each branch elections.
2. We will advise ourselves after six months of this statement by which time the regional and national election might have be held. Which mean that we are giving room for the newly elected executives to investigate the case of Akan constituency. Else we will advise ourselves on what to do in 2016.
Mr. Chairman, distinguish ladies and gentlemen on this note I will to remember each of us that I will not fail or I have not forgotten the promises I made during my campaign. Even though we are behind time, I will deliver and we shall surely get there.
I will like to thank everyone once again for coming.
May the good Lord grant each of us traveling mercies to our destinations.
God bless us all.
THE DIGEST 