ER MINISTER SUFFERS DEFEAT AT PRIMARIES (PAGE 15)

 
Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Mpraeso

THE desire of the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, to enter Parliament in January, next year, could not materialise when he suffered defeat at the primaries held at Mpraeso on Saturday.
The soft-spoken Affram Asiedu who willingly stepped down four years ago in favour of the incumbent, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, who did not compete last Saturday, had 16 votes as against 37 secured by a virtually unknown 37-year-old construction engineer, Seth Acheampong.
Three other contestants, Madam Suzie Mensah had 31 votes, Mr Owoana Asante, District Chief Executive for Kwahu South, 10 votes, and Madam Grace Atefa, the immediate past Eastern Regional Organiser of the New Patriotic Party, two votes.
The four, in conceding defeat, pledged to support Mr Acheampong to retain the constituency seat and also obtain majority votes in the presidential elections.
Mr Acheampong gave the assurance that he would drink from the fountain of wisdom from the experienced elders of the party and mobilise resources to enable the party to convincingly win both the constituency seat and that of the presidency.
In another development, the Minister of Lands, Mines and Forestry, Madam Esther Obeng Dapaah, secured 41 votes to be retained to contest the Abirem Constituency seat on the ticket of the NPP.
Madam Dapaah, beat two other contestants, Messrs Osei Frimpong who had 24 votes, and Samuel Henry Dwamena Yeboah who secured four votes when the ballot was cast at New Abirem on Saturday.
Prior to the elections, some supporters of the party besieged the Birim North Assembly Hall, the venue of the event, shouting slogans against Madam Dapaah and attempted to prevent her from entering the place but the police aborted that act.
She was therefore taken away in a different direction after the voting.
Before the ballots were cast at the two places, the Eastern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Mr Yaw Gyekye Amoabeng, asked the rank and file of the party, especially the unsuccessful candidates, to put aside their differences and redouble their efforts for a landslide victory in the December elections.