NDC needs experienced politicians to win elections, not movie stars, celebrities – Dumelo’s contender

A Parliamentary Aspirant for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Suzzy Afua Adoboe, says the party needs experienced politicians who can win elections and not movie stars.

The NDC, according to her, is looking beyond the party’s primaries and will necessarily need to present an experienced and more competent candidate capable of snatching the parliamentary seat from the governing New Patriotic Party.

The contest for the sole NDC ticket within the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency has become quite competitive with popular Ghanaian actor, John Dumelo having picked a form to file his nomination.

Speaking to The Ghana Report exclusively on Thursday in the run-up to the party’s primaries on August 24, Afua Adoboe, known as ‘Obaatanpa’ said the focus of the party’s primaries should be about getting somebody who can capture the seat from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the NDC.

She said, “This whole election in Ayawaso West Wuogon is not about celebrity, it is about putting the right strategies in place to deal with 2020. We have to look beyond the primaries into 2020 and see how we can win the election.

If you don’t have the experience, you haven’t been there; you haven’t been a polling agent before, you have not handled anything as a polling agent in the strong room of the NDC, you have not done anything in  terms of collation of results, you have not done anything in terms of people who handle elections, you cannot just assume it will go this way. I have the experience to deal with all such issues in the constituency and that is why I am counting on delegates to choose experience and competence over popularity.”   

The former Government Appointee for the Afadzato South District Assembly emphasized she decided to contest the NDC primaries because she is a true party person who understands the challenges confronting the constituency hence will use her experience and demonstrable competence to address such problems when given the opportunity.

“I am a member of the NDC since the party was formed and have served the party since 1992. I am a known member of the NDC and have played so many roles in the party. I am not new to the NDC. Ayawaso West Wuogon is an elitist constituency. It has its own dynamics and as somebody who has worked in the party who understands the party structure and knows the in and out of the party and the problems, and the challenges the constituency is facing, I think I am better placed or I am better informed with these challenges to be able to represent the people,” Adoboe said.

She appealed to NDC delegates to give her the mandate to lead the party since her integrity is intact and coupled with her experience and competence, she will capture the seat for the largest opposition party.

Mrs. Suzzy Afua Adoboe, who describes herself as a true party person holds an MSc in Defense and International Politics from the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), a Master’s Degree in Local Government Administration from the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Public Administration awarded by the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

She earlier obtained her Diploma and Degree in Public Relations (PR) from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ).

Among several positions the NDC parliamentary aspirant has held include Government Appointee for the Afadzato South District Assembly between 2012-2015, Government Appointee for the St. Francis College of Education, Hohoe from 2009 to 2017. She was also a member of the National Planning Committee for the 2014 Brazil World Cup.

Mrs. Afua Adoboe currently serves at the Communications and International Relations Department of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and has also worked with several establishments including AngloGold Ashanti, West Africa Magazine, Driwald Consult, Metro TV as well as the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Communications as an intern and National Service Personnel respectively.

She is married to Mr. Augustine Adoboe, an Environmental, Water & Sanitation Consultant and the couple are blessed with four children.