Friday, September 5, 2008

OSEI-WUSU GOES INDEPENDENT (PAGE 13)

THE battle lines have been drawn in the Bekwai Constituency in the Ashanti Region following the decision by former Chief Executive of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Mr Joe Osei-Wusu, to resign from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to contest the seat as an independent candidate.
Mr Osei-Wusu made the formal announcement of his decision last Tuesday at Bekwai and promised to wrest the seat from the incumbent, Mr Kofi Poku-Adusei, who beat him by a single vote in the NPP primary.
However, Mr Poku-Adusei has called the bluff of Mr Osei-Wusu, saying, "The good people of Bekwai will speak in my favour in the election.”
There was jubilation among the supporters of Mr Osei-Wusu when he made the announcement.
Scores of the supporters had met him at Anwiankwanta from where he moved to Bekwai.
Mr Osei-Wusu visited the Omanhene's palace to formally introduce himself to him.
Some of the residents at Bekwai have accused the Omanhene, Nana Karikari Appau II, of showing bias by throwing his weight behind Mr Osei-Wusu.
Mr Osei-Wusu said his decision to contest as independent candidate was premised on calls by the people of the constituency to step in as their MP to facilitate the development of the area.
He said even though he was going independent, he remained a strong believer of the Danquah-Busia tradition and that he would throw his weight behind the NPP when he entered Parliament.
Mr Osei-Wusu stated that the people of the constituency had decided to vote for him in the parliamentary election and Nana Akufo-Addo in the presidential election.
Reacting to Mr Osei-Wusu's decision, Mr Poku-Adusei told the Daily Graphic in a telephone interview yesterday that he was never bothered by the move.
He said Mr Osei-Wusu would be defeated in a big way come December.
Mr Poku-Adusei stated that as an MP, he had led the constituency to achieve an appreciable level of development and expressed the hope that the people would look at his performance and return him to Parliament.

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