A cross section of National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters and floating voters in the Binduri Constituency in the Upper East Region are calling for the return of Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem, a former Member of Parliament (MP) for the area.
Residents have urged delegates of the main opposition party in the area to vote massively for the former MP in the upcoming parliamentary primaries to enable him to recapture the seat from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 general election.
The following is a write-up by Awinbugri Ateawin Musah, a concerned constituent and loyal member of the NDC in the Binduri Constituency, justifying why Dr. Kuganab-Lem is the right man to lead the NDC in the constituency into the 2024 parliamentary election.
THE NEED FOR DR. ROBERT KUGANAB-LEM TO LEAD NDC IN THE BINDURI CONSTITUENCY IN 2024
Right after the 2019 NDC Parliamentary Primaries, where Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem won to represent the ticket of the NDC in the 2020 national and parliamentary elections, there has been a lot of brouhaha that has sought to discredit him in all ways.
The unfortunate part of it all was that these discrediting falsehoods were peddled against him by internal factions of the party, and that really affected the party in the 2020 parliamentary elections, which made Binduri the only constituency in the Upper East Region to have lost the election to the NPP parliamentary candidate, which consequently made the 8th Parliament be described as a “hung parliament.”
Since the opening of nominations for parliamentary candidates for internal primaries, there have been divisions on who to lead the party in the 2024 parliamentary elections, and this has led to widening the distance between the constituents and the representatives.
Unfortunately, this division appears to be driven by personal interests and other sentiments.
One would like to know how Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem handled this situation even when he lost the election to the NPP parliamentary candidate due to the deliberate actions and inactions of some party faithfuls.
This unfortunate development has called for the need to highlight the good works of Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem for the constituency and the NDC party at large before, during, and even after he lost the 2020 national and parliamentary elections.
First, education:
Education is undeniably the key to the development of every society, and therefore its foundation, upon which other levels are built, should be given the attention it needs.
Before he became a Member of Parliament for the constituency, at the time he was the Member of Parliament, and even when he lost the election to the NPP parliamentary candidate in 2020, he focused much of his attention on education and its related challenges.
In line with his relentless calls for prioritization and a multi-dimensional investment in education, he was able to construct a modern three-classroom block with offices as the “Girls’ Model School,” which is aimed at increasing girl-child education in the constituency.
As part of his affection for the future of the constituency, while in office as a Member of Parliament, he organized extra classes for basic schools to enable teachers to complete the syllabus before students sat for their final examinations.
He equally bought learning materials such as books, mathematical sets, and pens, to mention just a few, for final-year basic school students to enable them to prepare adequately for their final examination.
He supplied Junior High School (JHS) students with past questions and answers books to enable them to prepare well for their final examination.
Proper supervision by authority, which is a key challenge in education, was also attended to by him. He gave motor bikes to circuit supervisors in the constituency to enable them to carry out effective supervision.
This great initiative yielded positive results, especially in the 2017–2019 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) performance in the district.
He also constructed two pavilions in two communities for nursery pupils.
One can say that when it comes to education in the Binduri District, Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem has left an indelible mark in the hearts of the constituents.
Unlike the NPP Member of Parliament, who used the MPs’ Common Fund for parochial interests, Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem, while in office, used his share to support students at all levels in the district.
He always emphasized that education is a right and not a privilege, and therefore, it should not be limited to a few.
Second, health:
Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem has supported his constituents over the years with health equipment and facilities.
He has helped in equipping many health facilities in the constituency to make it easier for health workers to deliver their best to the constituents.
As part of his quest to deliver quality health to his constituents, he constructed three (3) health posts in the constituency to help provide health care.
Clean water, which has been a serious challenge in the constituency when it comes to health, was well catered for.
Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem, as part of his commitment, drilled forty-seven (47) boreholes in the constituency. This included using his lobbying skills to get the Japanese government to drill a borehole for his people.
One would remember when COVID-19 found its way into the country in 2020, and Binduri was not an exception. He donated health equipment to health centers to enable the health workers to protect themselves while taking good care of their constituents. The constituents were not left out in this regard.
As a loyal and faithful member of the party, Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem did not relent on his service to the constituents and the party at large after losing the 2020 elections.
He played two key roles in both the constituency and at the national level at large, and that gives him credit and qualifies him to lead the party in 2024 if we want to recapture the seat from the clueless NPP Member of Parliament.
First, fostering participation and unity in the constituency
Despite his defeat and the lies peddled against him, he still placed the interest of the party over his personal interest and sought to bring decorum and sanity to the constituency.
Over the past three years, mechanisms for party consultation and engagement for unity have increased in the constituency, such as mobilizing party youth to visit party faithfuls who encounter misfortunes such as lost relations, lost valuable properties, and others.
Constituency executives organizing meetings and inviting regional executives and constituency party faithfuls, aimed at capturing power in 2024.
Moving from one polling station to another to engage with the constituents, learn about their challenges in these trying times, offer them what he can, and also preach the gospel of NDC to them.
All these are steps taken with the sole aim of fostering unity toward capturing power in 2024.
Second, National Representation:
Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem, after he lost the 2020 elections, still represented the constituency in many ways, such as by representing the voice of the constituents on national occasions.
Unlike the NPP Member of Parliament, one remarkable and most talked-about aspect of Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem is his constant representation of the constituents in the discussions of national issues.
He has represented the constituency in many national TV presentations to make a contribution to issues bordering the nation, especially at the time Ghana’s economy was on its knees and well-meaning Ghanaians had to rise and speak to national issues.
Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem did his part as a concerned citizen and a former Member of Parliament. He made sure the voice of the constituents was heard on the national front.
Though Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem is not part of the 8th Parliament, he has always represented the constituency in the discussions of national issues in the media space and needs to be honoured for that.
In conclusion, Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem left the constituency in the hands of the NPP Member of Parliament with legacies that included initiatives with the potential to foster effective development and a culture of servant leadership.
In just three years after he left office, the clueless NPP Member of Parliament has messed up with the opportunities and ideas that Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem initiated to benefit the constituents. He did not only mess up with the fortunes but also degraded the constituents in the public domain by saying that they can not transact GH 100 a day using mobile money and hence should not speak against the passage of the deadly E-Levy, which is now affecting Ghanaians.
If we bring Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem back with his ideas, values, and initiatives, it will go a long way toward building, developing, and driving our beloved constituency in the desired direction.
As was stated by H.E. John Dramani Mahama in his campaign launch in the Volta Region last week, the Binduri Constituency needs an experienced person to represent our ticket in 2024 and not someone to experiment with.
Dr. Robert Kuganab-Lem is that experienced person to represent the NDC ticket in Binduri Constituency in 2024 and recapture the seat from the stranger roaming in parliament.
Written by: Awinbugri Ateawin Musah
A concerned constituent and loyal member of the NDC.
#DRfor2024
