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We’re still shocked by the results of the parliamentary elections – Justin Kodua
The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Frimpong Kodua, has expressed shock and disbelief over the results of the just-ended 2024 parliamentary elections.
He stated that one major issue before the 2020 election was how the party had imposed some candidates on certain constituencies.
“So we vowed not to allow such instances to repeat themselves again in the 2023/2024 primaries. You can testify that we ran one of the most transparent and efficient parliamentary primaries in our party, with no traces of controversy after the election. The various constituencies were given the opportunity to elect whoever they wanted to lead them in the 2024 election,” he said.
He revealed that an album validation committee was established to ensure transparency during the election and avoid any misunderstandings among members.
In an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen Show on Tuesday, January 14, Mr Kodua mentioned that parliamentary candidates of the party acknowledged that the party had fairly provided maximum support during the election, making it unprecedented.
“Some of us are still mesmerized, we are still shocked by the outcome of the election,” he emphasized.
Mr Kodua further explained that he chose not to grant any interviews after the election because he was puzzled by how the party lost so many seats despite ensuring a smooth election process during the primaries.
He expressed strong confidence in the committee set up to investigate the aftermath of the 2024 election.
“The committee, headed by Prof Mike Oquaye, will probe further to find out what really happened,” he stressed.
He also attributed the party’s loss to apathy that had crept into the party, which he claimed led to the poor performance.
“The kind of apathy that infiltrated the party in the 2024 elections affected both the presidential and parliamentary candidates…” he concluded.
Although both parties had 137 MPs with one independent MP backing the NPP to give them a slight majority in the 8th Parliament, the 9th Parliament has seen the NDC winning 183 seats, with the NPP managing just 88 seats with four Independent MPs.
There’s just one parliamentary seat yet to be determined by the Electoral Commission due to an outstanding dispute.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
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Minister for Education leads monitoring visit to BECE Centres
As part of efforts to encourage candidates writing the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrissu has led a government delegation to the 5 Garrison Education Centre and Emmause Cluster of Schools earlier today in Accra.
The visit aimed at monitoring the conduct of the examination, interacting with candidates, and offering words of motivation.
The minister urged the students to remain focused, confident, and determined, encouraging them to do their best to make themselves and the nation proud.
Accompanying the Education minister were the Minister for Defence, Edward Omane Boamah; Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah and the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Ernest Davis.
The rest included the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Maamle Andrews; and the Municipal Chief Executive for La Dadekotopon, Alfredos Nii Anyetei.
Other dignitaries present also reiterated government’s commitment to educational excellence and the holistic development of every Ghanaian child.
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Interior Minister calls for correctional reform as Prisons Service graduates New Officers
Speaking at the Passing-Out Parade of Recruit Course 125 at Ankaful Prison Officers’ Training School in the Central Region, the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has emphasized the need for correctional reform in Ghana, highlighting the government’s commitment to transforming the Prisons Service into a modern correctional facility that focuses on rehabilitation, reformation and reintegration.
He noted that Government remains committed to expanding vocational training, educational programmes and productive inmate enterprises that reinforce rehabilitation, reformation and reintegration.
The minister pointed out that correctional facilities must become centers of reform, not just detention.
According to him, “is not an act of charity but a strategic investment in national security and human capital. When we empower an inmate with employable skills, we reduce the opportunity for that inmate to re-offend. Rehabilitation and reformation do not occur in isolation but must be linked to purposeful activity.”
To give practical effect to this policy, Muntaka Mohamed-Mubarak announced that Government will scale up support for prison-based ventures, saying that entures such as carpentry, tailoring, agriculture, and industrial operations, including bottled water production, will be central to a sustainable, self-reliant correctional economy.
The Minister also directed all institutions under the Ministry for the Interior to prioritise the purchase of bottled water and toilet rolls produced by the Ghana Prisons Service.
This, he said, will not only reduce the financial burden on the state but also generate revenue and promote inmates’ productivity.
He reassured the leadership and personnel of the Ghana Prisons Service of the Government’s unwavering support, emphasizing that the commitment goes beyond improving logistics and infrastructure to reforming the very foundation of correctional practice in Ghana.
Muntaka Mubarak urged the new officers to serve with integrity, compassion, and professionalism, and assured them that their actions would reflect the high standards of the Service and the trust the nation has placed in them.
