Effutu Member of Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has recounted how he almost gave up on his political ambitions after he was denied access to contest the parliamentary elections in 2004 on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to him, despite gathering a huge following and his optimism about his chances to contest, another person was chosen over him because he was described as young and inexperienced.
The disapproval from the members of the New Patriotic Party left him heartbroken which subsequently led him to cry uncontrollably.
Recounting this in a tribute to the late Harona Esseku; a founding member of the New Patriotic Party, he noted that he travelled to Accra after an invitation to the Osu Castle where party executives asked him to drop his nomination forms amidst the brouhaha in Effutu at the time.
What transpired in the meeting, Afenyo-Markin said, almost collapsed his dreams of becoming a politician.
He said, “I was in my mid-20s but yet a burgeoning business magnate and keen to serve the people of Ghana, I saw the NPP brand of politics as the right vehicle, jumping onto it with big dreams. Soon, I took part in the NPP Parliamentary Primary Elections in Effutu in 2004, confident of a resounding victory. As it turned out, I won the NPP ticket at that primary election, but I was unjustly denied a spot on the ballot.”
“Many in the high echelons of the party felt I was too young and inexperienced. They preferred a more mature hand, not a novice. Of course, I disagreed with those views with everything within my bones, and my loyal supporters stood resolutely behind me. As the campaign to block me from contesting in the 2004 parliamentary election as the NPP candidate picked some pace, the situation threatened to tear down the fabric of the party in Effutu. ‘No Afenyo-Markin, No vote’ screamed the relentless chants representing the widespread voices of dissent in Winneba. Despite the snowballing crisis, I was in no doubt that I could lead the party to victory in December that year. However, as it turned out, my dreams soon collapsed,” he stated.
Afenyo-Markin added that, “After every argument was made against my candidature and every filling rebuttal given at that poignant meeting, the message from the party authorities was that I should not file my nomination forms. I did not prepare for that outcome. It broke my heart in a truly devastating way and quickly, the usually reliable defences and floodgates around my tear glands failed. They failed for the very first time in many years. And soon, the restless dams of tears that had were in my two eyes burst with uncontrollable rage akin to those marauding Caribbean floods.”
He noted that the pain did not deter him from giving up on both his dream and political party – NPP.
Alexander Afenyo-Markin in 2011 won the parliamentary candidate seat at the NPP primary elections.
He garnered 209 votes whiles his contender bagged 38 votes in the primaries.
He has since retained his position as the Member of Parliament for Effutu constituency.
Source: Ghana Web
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