One of the aspirants seeking to challenge Ellembelle MP and Deputy Minority Leader Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah ahead of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries has stepped down.
Clement Blay made this announcement on Sunday (26 March) during a tour of former President John Mahama at Kanokoare, a community in the Western Region town.
“After extensive consultations and deliberations, and for peace to prevail in the party, I have declared my support for the Hon. Armah Kofi-Buah and I pledge to work hard to ensure that the NDC retains this seat”, he declared amid a charged crowd.
Dr Blay’s sharp U-turn has received the widest applause from the rank-and-file of the party including former President John Mahama.
“I am overjoyed…This is how it should be. We should not do things that will keep people away from the party. I encouraged him [Armah-Buah] not to step down because we needed someone with experience to monitor activities in parliament”, Mahama explained.
“[Dr Blay] must be commended and this decision opens doors for him in any future elections”, he added.
It is not clear whether another contender Miezah Mea-Allea would also take a similar step. He contested the sitting MP in 2019 but lost the race after he polled 99 votes out of 1096 votes.