New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates in the Bekwai constituency in the Ashanti Region have chosen a new path to progress and development in their constituency by electing young Ghanaian lawyer and true indigene of Bekwai, Ralph Poku-Adusei as their parliamentary candidate for the December 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

The election held on Saturday, 27 January 2024, saw Ralph Poku-Adusei who was second on the ballot paper which had for candidates, poll six hundred and sixty-two (662) votes of a total of nine hundred and thirty-eight (938), representing 70% of the valid votes cast.

His closest contender, commissioner of police (COP) George Alex Mensah (Rtd), polled two hundred and forty-five (245) votes, representing 26% of the valid votes cast. The other aspirants, Kingsley Opoku Agyeman, secured only one (1) vote, representing 0.001%, and Henry Opoku Adusei, secured thirty (30) votes, amounting to 3% of the valid votes cast.

Joe Wise candidate rejected

The delegates are said to have chosen a new path because they rejected the candidate who was openly supported by the outgoing member of Parliament (MP) for the Bekwai constituency, and first deputy Speaker pf Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu (Joe Wise).

Joe Wise endorsed the candidature of COP George Alex Mensah (Rtd) and was seen campaigning for him in various towns and villages in the Bekwai Municipality. However, the candidate of the sitting MP managed to secure only 26% of the valid votes cast, which was certainly not enough to win the Bekwai constituency candidature.

Endorsements

The vetting committees chaired by Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B), before whom, Ralph Poku-Adusei appeared, also him for his unwavering support and commitment to the people of Bekwai and to all NPP faithful in the constituency.

Speaking on behalf of his two other colleagues on the committee after vetting Ralph Poku-Adusei, Henry Nana Boakye said Mr Poku-Adusei demonstrated pure love and dedication to the NPP and to the people of the Bekwai municipality.

“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 it first share of this development.

“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, ” Nana Boakye said to the admiration of lawyer Ralph’s supporters who accompanied him to the vetting.

The NPP Ashanti regional chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), at the vetting, also commended Ralph Poku-Adusei for his selfless support and contribution to the growth and development of the NPP particularly in Bekwai. He also endorsed Ralph Poku-Adusei’s candidature.

The secretary to the committee, Iddi Muhaya-Deen, after Ralph’s vetting called for a standing ovation in his honour, and the same was observed by all present amidst a loud round of applause.

13 out of the 17 executive committee members, (10 elected, 3 appointed) and 29 out of the 34 electoral area coordinators, also endorsed the candidature of Ralph Poku-Adusei, ahead of the primaries.

The constituency executives who chose Ralph Poku-Adusei over the three other aspirants ahead of the Bekwai parliamentary primaries were the constituency chairman, 1st vice chairman, 2nd vice chairman, constituency general secretary, organizer, and women’s organizer.

The remaining executives are the constituency treasurer, constituency youth organizer, Nasara coordinator, deputy youth organizer, deputy women’s organizer, deputy general, secretary, deputy youth organizer, and the constituency deputy Nasara coordinator.

The constituency executives and electoral areas coordinators pledged their firm support for Ralph Poku-Adusei during an interaction between them and the candidate to discuss pertinent issues of concern to them in Bekwai that would require urgent in the short term and long term.

Profile of Ralph

Ralph Poku-Adusei is a Managing Partner at Trent Legal Amansie Chambers, a Notary Public, a British-trained and well-seasoned legal practitioner with about thirteen (13) years’ experience in all facets of corporate and commercial practice, land acquisition, and criminal practice and has been intimately involved in leading ground-breaking litigation.

Throughout his years as a legal practitioner, 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, University of Law, UK (formerly The College of Law of England and Wales, UK) Ghana School of Law, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana among others.

He doubles up as an entrepreneur with 15 years in business leadership, 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 the communities within and around Bekwai in the Ashanti Region of the Republic of Ghana.

Ralph Poku-Adusei is a relentless optimist, an effective communicator, and a motivator who identifies and leverages assets in teammates to reach organizational goals.

Notwithstanding his academic and entrepreneurial prowess, Ralph Poku-Adusei is a philanthropist who believes in giving back to society hence, he set up a non-governmental organization in 2018 called the Poku-Adusei Foundation to provide Humanitarian Support Services to the poor and the needy/less privileged in the society.

This organization has been a great support to the orphans, widows, and widowers and aged in the Bekwai community in the Ashanti Region.

Ralph Poku-Adusei hails from the Oyoko family of Kokofu in the Ashanti Region. He is married to Mrs. Gloria Poku-Adusei is blessed with two (2) children; a daughter and a son.

About Bekwai

The Bekwai Municipal is one of the 261 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana and forms part of the 43 MMDAs in the Ashanti Region with its administrative capital as Bekwai

The municipality is located in the southern part of the region, lies within 6º 00’N – 6º30 ‘N and Longitudes 1º 00W and 1º 35W, and covers a total land area of about 633sqkm

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 Municipal to the east.

In other parts of the municipality, however, human activities, particularly farming and timber extraction, have reduced the primary forest to secondary forests.

The population of the municipality, according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, stands at 137,967 with 66,616 males and 71,351 females.