YAW BARIMAH FALLS AT NPP PRIMARIES (PAGE 17)

Story: Nana Konadu Agyeman, Koforidua

THE Greater Accra Regional Manager of the Presbyterian Schools, Madam Beatrice B. Boateng, has been elected the new parliamentary candidate for the New Juaben South Constituency on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Madam Boateng, who is also the Assembly Member for Social Welfare Electoral Area in the New Juaben Municipality, polled 54 votes to beat the incumbent MP and a former Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Yaw Barimah, who had 47 votes.
The election, characterised by tension, attracted a number of armed policemen, but was successfully conducted by the Electoral Commission (EC), supervised by some party officers, including its Eastern Regional Chairman, Mr Alecs Agobo, Eastern Regional Secretary of the party.
Prior to the voting, Madam Boateng said since the party had every chance to win all the parliamentary seats in the Eastern Region in the December elections, there was the need for the party’s rank and file to demonstrate a greater commitment and unity of purpose.
For their part, the three contestants, who expressed their preparedness to represent the people in Parliament, identified unity and co-operation among them as their utmost priority and called for support for anyone who would emerge the winner.
Mr Barimah a Minister of State at the Presidency congratulated Madam Boateng who was one time a Presiding Member of the New Juaben Municipal Assembly on her success and pledged his commitment and co-operation to her to enable the party to win the seat in the December election.
“There is a time to compete and a time to co-operate. There is no division between Madam Boateng and me”, he said, and therefore entreated the delegates to refrain from making negative comments that could cause some division among them.
For her part, Madam Boateng expressed her gratitude to the party officers, delegates and other contestants for their support, adding that “the task ahead of us is challenging, which I cannot bear alone and will, therefore, need your support and co-operation to enable us emerge victorious”.