Massive crowd welcomes Rashid Pelpuo to Wa

An impressive crowd of horn-tooting cars and motorcycles and hundreds of persons on foot welcomed the Member of Parliament for Wa Central, Mr Rashid Pelpuo, to town last week Wednesday as his campaign for re-election entered a new gear.

In a scene that could be confused for a presidential campaign, Mr Pelpuo rode in a black V8 in the company of close friends, with more than 20 other vehicles forming a convoy both ahead and behind in a patrol along some major streets in the regional capital.

Gratitude

He later told the media that he was both grateful for and overwhelmed by the spontaneous goodwill that had brought the public out to welcome him.

"This shows how much work we have done, and how much the people appreciate the little contributions we have made to improve roads and their conditions, supply of potable water, sanitation, health care facilities, and an environment that has enabled many to start small-scale businesses," he said.

"But there is more to be done — road networks need to be tarred; some communities need improvement in their water situation; schools, health care facilities, etc. will have to be improved for different people."

Tough contest

The Minister of State is seeking a fourth term in Parliament after filing to contest the November 7 parliamentary primary of the NDC, and faces four other candidates, namely the current Deputy Regional Minister, Dr Mohammed Musheibu Alfa; a former Regional Director of Education, Mr Iddrisu Mahama; Accra-based legal practitioner, Abdul Walid Bampuori Iddris, and Kukurah Jamal-deen, a lecturer the Tamale Polytechnic, in the contest.

Despite the weight of the competition, Mr Pelpuo said the crowd that welcomed him alone spoke volumes about his popularity with the people, and added that the expanded electoral college to enable every registered party member within the constituency to vote in the primary made him a favourite for re-election.