North Tongu was delighted to host all three persons asking for their mandate to represent them in Parliament. The citizenry was present on the day in their numbers. The large crowd watched with excitement as Parliamentary Candidates (PCs) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Ghana Union Movement (GUM) state their cases as the best candidates deserving to be voted for as the next Member of Parliament (MP).

The parliamentary debate was organized by the Inter-Party Dialogue Committee and the National Commission for Civic Education. The purpose of the debate was to allow for engagement between the constituents and the Parliamentary Candidates. The two main contenders, Hon. Richard Collins Arku of the NPP and Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa of the NDC touted their interventions in areas including agriculture, education, health, jobs, road infrastructure, youth development and improving the livelihood of Persons with Disability (PWDs) and the vulnerable in society and, their plans to improve on them when given the nod.

Hon. Richard Collins Arku as the District Chief Executive of the District, said just as the current government had initiated policies and programmes which improved lives of PWDs, the vulnerable, farmers and unemployed graduates in North Tongu, his tenure as MP would see a continuation for more developmental programs and jobs. He said these would be achieved through providing free vocational training to constituents, advocating for the establishment of a College of Education, an industrial park, landing sites among others to serve the interest of the citizenry.

Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the NDC PC and incumbent MP, said his good works in jobs creation, commitment to education, health delivery, welfare of the vulnerable and PWDs, and infrastructure development were there for all to see, it was not for nothing that he was installed Togbe Worgbedzi I (Promise Keeper). The former Deputy Minister and current ranking member of Foreign Affairs Committee promised that when given the nod, the Volivo Bridge and the Aveyime-Asutsuare Road would be completed in his first year as a USD120 million fund had already been sourced for that.

Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the NDC PC and incumbent MP, said his good works in jobs creation, commitment to education, health delivery, welfare of the vulnerable and PWDs, and infrastructure development were there for all to see, it was not for nothing that he was installed Togbe Worgbedzi I (Promise Keeper). The former Deputy Minister and current ranking member of Foreign Affairs Committee promised that when given the nod, the Volivo Bridge and the Aveyime-Asutsuare Road would be completed in his first year as a USD120 million fund had already been sourced for that.

He promised to expand his Free Hospital Bill Project to cater for more underprivileged people, revive the Aveyime Rice Factory and the Juapong Textile Company for jobs, lobby for a new technical tertiary institution and ensure that North Tongu had its fair share of the NDC’s People’s Manifesto. Rev Raymond Akaho the third candidate on the ticket of GUM, said he would prioritise technical and vocational training, lobby for the establishment of an agricultural university to improve agriculture production in the agrarian Constituency to provide jobs, institute a pension scheme for workers in the informal sector for their wellbeing and give interest-free rate on loans below GHC2,000.00 to constituents.  

In all, the debate was successful. The populace were exposed to the policies of the candidates and given the opportunity to decide who to lead them in parliament.