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Philip Addison petitions party over disqualification in Akuapem North
Philip Addison, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirant disqualified from the race in the Akuapem North Constituency in the Eastern Region has petitioned the party’s national leadership over the issue.
Mr Addison, who believes his disqualification was “pre-meditated”, in his petition, pleaded with the national leadership to probe the circumstances leading to his removal from the race and he also wants the NPP leadership to reverse his disqualification to enable him to contest in the party’s June 20 primaries.
Ahead of the 2016 general election, he emerged victorious in the NPP primaries to represent the party in the Klottey Korle Constituency in the Greater Accra Region and he, however, lost to Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) parliamentary candidate.
The party’s June 20 primaries will be held in 165 constituencies across the country due to elections in three constituencies have been put on hold and the party will hold the primaries in electoral areas rather than at the constituency level in order to ensure social distancing.
Mr Addison, who was the lead counsel for the NPP in the 2013 Presidential Election Petition case explained that contrary to claims of failing to “nurture the constituency”, he had “given assistance and support to the party for a long time stretching from the time of William Boafo and the previous executives to date.
“Some of my encounters with some members of the party in the constituency who raised issues with my decision to contest for that seat made me believe my disqualification was premeditated but I have contributed my quota to the party, including handling legal cases for the NPP “pro-bono”.
“I have worked hard to enhance the image of the party in the constituency, I have established a rapport with all the traditional authorities in the constituency and within this short space of time I have endeared myself to a majority of the delegates and the electorate and I pray that the vetting committee will find my contributions to the party worthy of recognition.
“I respectfully invite the committee to look favourably on my petition, reverse the disqualification and allow me to contest the parliamentary primaries in the Akuapem North Constituency,” Mr Addison indicated in the petition. -citinewsroom.com
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has held a strategic engagement with leadership of the Queen Mothers Association drawn from all sixteen regions of Ghana.
The delegation, led by its President, Nana Otubea II, outlined the formation and purpose of the Association, noting that it brings together gazetted queen mothers across the country to promote inclusivity, community development and participation in national decision-making process. The Association also reaffirmed its commitment to partnering government in advancing development initiatives within their traditional areas.
They highlighted their advocacy efforts which contributed to the passage of the Affirmative Action Act, and expressed appreciation to the Minister for her leadership, while calling for stronger collaboration and inclusion in governance structures.
In her response, the Minister expressed gratitude for the visit and reaffirmed government’s commitment to inclusive development. She emphasised that sustainable national development requires the active involvement of all stakeholders, particularly traditional leaders such as queen mothers, who play critical role at community level.
She noted that the Ministry remains committed to ensuring that “no one is left behind,” aligning with the broader national development agenda.
Touching on policy implementation, the Minister indicated that the Affirmative Action Act, passed in 2024 and launched in 2025 is currently at the implementation stage, with a Secretariat established to drive its roll out. She added that the Ministry continues to implement targeted social interventions through programmes such as LEAP, the Ghana School Feeding Programmes.
As part of the engagement, the Minister presented copies of the Affirmative Action Act, the Social Protection Act and documents on the LEAP reassessment onboarding process to the Association to support their advocacy and community outreach efforts.
The Minister further underscored the indispensable role of queen mothers in addressing critical social issues, including teenage pregnancy, child welfare, caregiving and community sensitisation.
She tasked the Queen Mothers to actively support and encourage more women to contest in the upcoming District Assembly elections, stressing that their involvement is crucial to achieving gender parity in local governance.
The meeting reinforced the importance of partnership between the Ministry and traditional leaders in advancing gender equality and social development at the community level.
Miniser for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has revealed a major shake up at Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) following recent power outages.
In a post on Facebook, Felix Kwakye Ofosu disclosed that Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor has asked the CEO of GRIDCo to step aside pending investigations into fire incident at Akosombo power control center.
Also, he further noted that there has been a major shake up in the leadership of the ECG in the Ashanti Region.
“At 2pm tomorrow, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Hon John Jinapor, will hold a major briefing on recent developments in electricity distribution,” he concluded.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
