The Upper West Regional Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Sissala West, Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemani has announced his retirement from politics, after a humiliating defeat in the just-ended parliamentary election.
Speaking to The Chronicle, the former Minister of Roads and Highways said he was initially not interested in contesting the Sissala West seat again, but the party prevailed upon him to change his decision and contest, only for the same party members to turn around to ditch him.
“I did not want to contest the seat in the first place this year, but there was pressure on me from the party. That is how come I contested, but as fate will have it, I lostâ€, he stated
According to result from the constituency, the electorates voted for the NDC presidential candidate President Mahama and voted for the NPP parliamentary candidate Patrick Al-Hassan Adamah.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that The former DCE for Sissala West, Mr Moses Dramani Luir, who was dismissed for declaring his intention to contest the minister in the NDC primaries, instigated the defeat of the minister.
The same minister initially refused to accept posting to Upper West as the regional minister after he had been reshuffled from the Roads and Highways Ministry.
The Regional Minister, however, said that he was leaving the scene, knowing that his achievements will better the lives of the residents of Sissala West, after constructing boreholes, roads and a number of schools.
“I feel proud about my achievements but it is not for me to rate myself but the people I represented, who benefitted from the various projects I embarked onâ€, he emphasized.
Meanwhile, the just ended 2016 parliamentary is the first time the NPP has won the Sissala West seat since 2004, with Mr Patrick Al-Hassan Adamah polling 13,130 votes as against Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemani’s 9,762.
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