ARTHUR-BAIDEN TO CONTEST NPP PRIMARIES (PAGE 15)

Story: Joe Okyere, Cape Coast

A Leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency, Mr William Kow Arthur-Baiden, has declared his intention to contest the party’s primary for the parliamentary seat in the December election.
Mr Arthur-Baiden, the Town Planning Officer for the Cape Coast Municipal Assembly, said he took the decision to save the seat for the NPP, because according to him, members of the party in the constituency had lost confidence in the current MP, Mr Isaac Edumadze.
He pledged that when elected, education and health would be his priority.
Mr Arthur-Baiden alleged that apart from the high-handedness of Mr Edumadze in handling the affairs of the party in the constituency, he had also antagonised the executives and had tried to hand-pick his own cronies to steer the affairs of the party to suit his personal interest and ambition.
He said Mr Edumadze had also resorted to intimidation and bullying of party executives who challenged his “one-man show”, and expressed support for those with the intention to contest him at the primary to save the party from losing the seat.
He said apart from losing the support of the people, he had resorted to unwarranted court action to sow seeds of discord amongst the membership of the party.
Sources at the constituency party office confirmed moves by the MP to contest the election unopposed, and that has led to his resort to such actions.
Mr Arthur-Baiden, 49, holds BSc. (Hons) Development Planning from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST); Diploma in Rural Planning and Resource Management from PAID/WA, Cameroun, and Certificate in Project Planning and Management from GIMPA.
The has worked as a District Town Planning Officer for Asante-Akim North and South districts, officer in charge of Development Control in Tamale, Officer of Town and Country Planning Development, Town Planner (UNV Programme) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Dakar and Bangladesh.