New Patriotic Party delegates in Bekwai in the Ashanti Region have chosen a new path to progress and development in their constituency by electing the young Ghanaian lawyer and true Bekwai indigene Ralph Poku-Adusei as their parliamentary candidate for the December 2024 general election.
The primary, held on Saturday (27 January 2024), saw Poku-Adusei who was second on the ballot paper with three other candidates, poll 662 votes out of a total 938, representing 70% of the valid votes cast.
His closest contender, Commissioner of Police (rtd) George Alex Mensah, secured 245 votes, 26% of the valid votes cast.
Of the two other aspirants, Kingsley Opoku Agyeman won only one vote, representing 0.001%, and Henry Opoku Adusei secured 30 votes, amounting to 3% of the valid votes cast.
Joe Wise’s man rejected
The delegates are said to have chosen a new path by rejecting the candidate who was openly supported by the outgoing MP for Bekwai and first deputy Speaker pf Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu (popularly known as “Joe Wise”).
Joe Wise endorsed the candidature of COP (rtd) George Alex Mensah and was seen campaigning for him in various towns and villages in the Bekwai Municipality.
However, the sitting MP’s candidate managed to secure only 26% of the valid votes cast, which was certainly not enough to win the candidacy for Bekwai.
Endorsements
The vetting committee chaired by Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B), before which Ralph Poku-Adusei appeared, also praised Poku-Adusei for his unwavering support and commitment to the people of Bekwai and to all the NPP faithful in the constituency.
Speaking on behalf of his two other colleagues on the committee after his vetting, Henry Nana Boakye said Poku-Adusei showed pure love and dedication to the NPP and the people of Bekwai.
“Everything you have said in response to our probing questions at this vetting has established that you have a genuine desire to ensure that the NPP as a party stays in office to develop the country and that the Bekwai constituency gets its fair share of development,” Nana B said, to the admiration of Lawyer Ralph’s supporters who accompanied him to the vetting.
“You have earned my admiration and that of the committee, and we wish you a successful primary contest on 27 January 2023. We are fully persuaded that the delegates of Bekwai will reward your hard work, support, and commitment to them by electing you as their parliamentary candidate for the 7 December 2024 elections,” said Nana Boakye.
Also speaking at the vetting, the NPP Ashanti regional chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), commended Ralph Poku-Adusei for his selfless support and contribution to the growth and development of the NPP, particularly in Bekwai. He also endorsed his candidature.
After the vetting, the secretary to the committee, Iddi Muhayu-Deen, called for a standing ovation in Ralph Poku Adusei’s honour. The request was met by all present with a loud round of applause.
Local party support
Thirteen out of the 17 executive committee members (ten elected, three appointed) and 29 out of the 34 electoral area co-ordinators also endorsed Ralph Poku-Adusei’s candidature in the lead-up to the primaries.
Prominent among the constituency executives who chose Ralph Poku-Adusei over the three other aspirants in the run-up to the Bekwai parliamentary primary were the constituency chairman, first vice-chairman, second vice-chairman, constituency general secretary, organiser and women’s organiser.
The other executives who chose Poku-Adusei are the constituency treasurer, constituency youth organiser, Nasara co-ordinator, deputy youth organiser, deputy women’s organiser, deputy general secretary, deputy youth organiser and the constituency deputy Nasara co-ordinator.
The constituency executives and electoral area co-ordinators pledged their firm support for Ralph Poku-Adusei during an interaction between them and the candidate to discuss issues of concern to them in Bekwai that will require urgent action.
Profile
Ralph Poku-Adusei is a managing partner at Trent Legal Amansie Chambers. He is a notary public and a British-trained, well-seasoned legal practitioner with about 13 years’ experience in all facets of corporate and commercial practice, land acquisition and criminal practice.
He has been intimately involved in leading groundbreaking litigation. Throughout his years as a lawyer, he has successfully advised and represented both local and international clients working in Ghana.
He is a member of the Ghana Bar, the Bar of England and Wales, and the International Bar Association. Ralph’s alma maters include the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, UK, Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Law, UK (formerly the College of Law of England and Wales, UK), the Ghana School of Law and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana.
He doubles as an entrepreneur with 15 years in business leadership, and is the founder and chairman of the board of directors of First Cedi Investment Ltd, a real estate development company domiciled in the Greater Accra Region.
He is also the proprietor of Firstcedi Micro-Credit Enterprise, which provides lending services to communities within and around Bekwai in the Ashanti Region. Ralph Poku-Adusei is a relentless optimist, an effective communicator and a motivator who identifies and leverages assets in teammates to reach organisational goals.
Notwithstanding his academic and entrepreneurial prowess, Ralph Poku-Adusei is a philanthropist who believes in giving back to society. In 2018, he set up a non-governmental organisation called the Poku-Adusei Foundation to provide humanitarian support services to the poor and needy/those less privileged in society. The organisation has been a great support to orphans, widows, widowers and the aged in the Bekwai community.
Ralph Poku-Adusei hails from the Oyoko family of Kokofu in the Ashanti Region. He is married to Gloria and they are blessed with two children, a daughter and a son.
About Bekwai
The Bekwai Municipality is one of the 261 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana and the 43 MMDAs in the Ashanti Region. Its administrative capital is Bekwai.
The municipality is located in the southern part of the region, within 6º 00’N – 6º30 ‘N and Longitudes 1º 00W and 1º 35W, and covers a total land area of roughly 633 square kilometres.
The municipality shares boundaries with Amansie West District to the west, Bosomtwe District to the north, Adansi South District and Adansi North District to the south, and the Asante Akim South Municipality to the east.
In some parts of the municipality, human activity, particularly farming and felling of timber, has reduced the primary forest to secondary forest.
The population of the municipality, according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, stands at 137,967, with 71,351 females and 66,616 males.
