By: Nelson Mensavie-Ayivor
Former Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie has on Friday picked her nomination forms to contest the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) upcoming Parliamentary Primaries in the Ketu South Constituency of the Volta region.
Speaking to media at the forecourts of the party’s Constituency office at Aflao after the exercise, the former Deputy Minister under former president John Mahama who is widely believed to be the leading contender in the race by over 80% of the people of the Constituency according to opinion polls conducted by independent group (Scorpion Research) across the length and width of the Constituency said she considers her decision to represent the Ketu South Constituency in Parliament as divine in that she is a woman and that no woman has over the years made it to Parliament along the coastal communities making up the Southern part of the Volta region.
“Women have never represented us in Parliament, we need to change the narrative and inspire the young women to dare to be anything they want to be, we want them to look at what we have done and build upon it” she said.
She observed that in other jurisdictions women occupied high public and political positions such as presidents and prime ministers hence there was the need to empower our women to aspire to greater heights adding that she was inspired by the fact that many young women see her as their role model and that she will continue to play that same role even in Parliament.
The former deputy minister further noted that she is also inspired by the fact that she has served in government and in the NDC as such she understands the structure of governance and knows that there are somethings that a woman can do and do it well adding that with the training she had received from the 31st December Women’s Movement to becoming a deputy minister for this country she is well positioned to contest the primaries and to come out victorious to represent the people of Ketu South.
“I am convinced that I will win this election, I have no doubt in my mind that the people of this Constituency believe in me and know that if given the opportunity, I will do the very best that I can” she stressed.
Mama Dzifa Gomashie further noted that during her tenure as deputy minister, she saw the difficulties and challenges she faced as opportunities to get outside the box and do something extraordinary even though she was only a deputy minister.
For her, becoming a member of Parliament would put her directly in charge of the affairs of the Constituency thereby taking decisions that would inure to the benefit of the good people of the Constituency.
She has promised to abide by all the rules guiding the conduct of campaign activities ahead of the Primaries and to unite the party for prosperity and development to the people which according to her includes human development and capacity building.
Madam Dzifa Gomashie said she would run an all inclusive campaign and will reach out to all party faithfuls and sympathizers to come out and together “we can work for the NDC to win the 2020 general elections”.
The former deputy minister installed queen of Avoeme in the Aflao Traditional Area was accompanied by scores of supporters, party faithfuls and well-wishers who described her as the Deborah of Ketu South and were all optimistic that she will win the NDC primaries and represent the party in the 2020 general elections.
By: Nelson Mensavie-Ayivor