I did not enjoy preferential treatment from corridors of power – Abayage

The Upper East Regional Minister Paulina Patience Abayage says it is untrue that she enjoyed preferential treatment from the corridors of power to contest the outgone New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for the Navrongo Central constituency in the Upper East region, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda.

She added that it is also not true that she was pushed by President Akufo-Addo to contest Mr Adda for the Navrongo Central seat as speculated by some people in a section of the media.

Madam Abayage who was speaking on Bolgatanga based Dreamz FM on Monday Sunday, January 10, 2021, said the support she got in her campaign came from people who believed in her dream and not from corridors of power.

"The support I enjoyed came from unconventional sources," she said, explaining that by using unconventional sources, she was not referring to illegal means but that the support mainly came through from his friends and people on social media.

“It’s a perception that I enjoyed support from corridors of power," Madam Abayage stated, describing allegations that she was pushed by President Akufo-Addo to contest Mr Adda as “lies.”

Madam Abayage who was speaking on the just ended 2020 elections and its aftermath in the region (Upper East) and in the country as a whole expressed gratitude to all those who believed in her and supported her dream.

She specifically thanked all the traditional authorities in the Upper East region for their support and the warm reception they gave her.

The Upper East Regional Minister booted out the Minister of Aviation, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda in the Navrongo Central constituency primary of the NPP.

She polled 307 votes as against Mr Adda's 266 votes. There were six rejected ballots in that contest.

Madam Abayage however lost the Parliamentary election to the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC’s) Sampson Tangombu Chiragia, a.k.a., ‘STC’.