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By Edward Graham Sebbie
The Nii Odoi Kwao Family of Osu, the primary owners of Niiman (Nima) and it surrounding has thrown its weight behind Baba Jamal’s candidature in the upcoming NDC’s Ayawaso East parliamentary primary.
In a press conference at Nima, the head of family, Nii Odoi Kwao ll, said even though all contestants are deserving of the position, Baba Jamal stands tall among them given jis vast public service. “All the contestants are my sons and daughter, however, we the land owners support Baba Jamal based on his experience as a former legislator making fit to be our MP” he retorted.
The main reason for supporting Baba Jamal he noted was to help erase what he refers to as identity crisis where Niiman residents are perceived as non-Ghanaians. Nii Odoi Kwao ll, explained that anytime Nima residents seek particular services that require residential status and Nima is mentioned, authorities become skeptical as though Nima is not part of Ghana.
“Anytime Nima residents require any of the national identity cards, passport, driver’s licence or even birth certificate and mention their names, authorities most often doubt if they are Ghanaians just because of their names and the fact that they reside in Nima” Nii Odoi Kwao emphasised.
This according to him has created a widespread and deep-rooting perception as if residents of Nima are not Ghanaians, a notion he describes as discriminatory, unfair and undermines national cohesion.
He said indigenes of Nima, Baba Jamal stands tall among the four contestants, and deserves to represent them in parliament. “All of the contestants are my sons and daughter, but one of them has been in parliament before and possesses the requisite experience, he was born here at Nima and knows our challenges, above all, he is a lawyer who we believe can champion our cause and fight that erroneous perception about us” Nii Odoi Kwao ll stressed.
The declaration yo him was not politicking but was about the welfare of Nima and its people, adding that Nima has suffered such identity problem for too long and the time had come to emd it. “This is where our forebears decided to settle, a place which has accommodated diverse people and tribes from the sub-region since its inception somewhere in the 1800s and cannot be seen in that light” he added.
The Ayawaso East parliamentary seat became vacant following the demise of their member of parliament, Naser Toure Mahama a couple of weeks ago. Four candidates out of the initial five have so far declared their intentions to contest the NDC primary in that constituency to represent the people of Nima in the parliament of Ghana.
The primary is however slated to take place on Saturday 7, 2026.
