Dr. Akoto Afriyie, the flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has suspended his intended tour of the Ashanti Region.
This sombre decision follows the unfortunate passing of former first lady, Theresa Aba Kufuor. Theresa, 87, who was the beloved wife of former President John Agyekum Kufuor, peacefully departed on Sunday night at her residence in Peduase after a period of illness.
While paying tribute to the late former first lady, Dr. Akoto Afriyie expressed his condolences and eulogized her memory.
“We have suspended our Ashanti regional campaign tour as a sign of respect for the loss of the first lady Theresa Kufuor. We will come back at the appropriate time, and we will be informed. But I want to take this opportunity to convey my deepest respect to the delegates of NPP who have been called upon to make a decision for the party. The real contest is on November 4. I’m calling on the delegates to vote for me,” he said.
The former Agric Minister is part of 4 politicians who will lock horns on November 4, 2023, in the NPP presidential primary.
He placed 4th out of ten aspirants in the Special Delegates Conference held on Saturday, August 26, 2023, surprising many political pundits and pollsters.
Over 210,000 party delegates are expected to exercise their franchise in the much-publicized November 4, 2023, presidential primary.
According to his earlier timetable, Dr Akoto was to meet with specialised groups of delegates of the UP tradition at different locations in the Ashanti region from October 2nd to 3rd.
Then on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, he was to scale up the interaction by meeting polling station executives, electoral area coordinators and constituency executives at a forum to be held in Kumasi.
The forum was to provide a platform for Dr Akoto, a former two-term Member of Parliament for Kwadaso Constituency, to further convince the delegates that he is the best candidate who can retain power for the party and address the myriad of welfare challenges confronting them.
The homecoming event was also to allow the delegates to ask Dr Akoto questions about the future of the party, especially at a time when unity in the party has been questioned by political analysts.
Dr Akoto was to end his Ashanti Regional tour with radio interviews on Thursday, October 5, and Friday, October 6, 2023.
The former Minister, who is number three (3) on the ballot paper will then move to the Northern Region where he will hold a similar exercise.
From the Northern Region, he would visit the Bono, Ahafo, and Eastern regions and finally return to the Greater Accra region to climax his regional tour.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH
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