In Bawku Central constituency, the NDC youth members have been on man hunt for a new leader to revive the party’s standing and secure the seat which they have worked hard all these years to keep in the next election.
One may ask why the youth will want to change a winning formula? But information is that the various youth groups within the rank and file of the NDC party say they are tired and cannot assure themselves of victory in the 2024 elections if the current member of Parliament is not changed.
The Current Member of Parliament, Hon Mahama Ayariga, is accused of not being effective in bringing development to the constituency or empowering the youth. Disappointed with his lackluster performance, the youth have vowed to ensure he loses the election if the NDC party puts him forward.
The disappointed youth have given thumps up to the party for allowing competitive primaries to allow for the delegates to select the best man for the job in the best interest of the party. In the last election, Hon Mahama Ayariga was allowed to go unopposed, against the wishes of the delegates, resulting in the Presidential candidate polling 4397 more votes than him.
The absence of a constituency party office has also been a point of concern for the youth, who cannot understand why an MP of Mahama Ayariga’s stature cannot help the party to build an office like Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine did for his constituency. They consider the practice of holding meetings in public places as an embarrassment and a recipe for the leakage of vital information.
It is for this reason the youth, after painstaking search have decided to settle and root for one of their own in the person of Ustarz Jibreel Sa-ad.
Ustarz Jibreel Sa-ad, is a young lawyer from Bawku who according to the youth remains the face of hope for the constituency. Despite losing his father at an early age, Sa-ad worked hard to become a lawyer. He was called to the Ghana Bar on September 30th, 2016. He graduated as the overall best student in several areas of law such as Law of Interpretation, Family Law, and Legal Accountancy.
His dedication and commitment to the NDC have not gone unnoticed. He has played a major role in the party’s legal representation and other mediation-related matters. The party leadership recognized his potential and appointed him to the National Legal team in 2017 and has since been engaged by the National Office to prosecute several party activities and other legal matters.
He was appointed as a collation agent for the 2020 general election for both Bawku Central Constituency and Binduri Constituency. Again, he was appointed in 2022 to oversee the vetting of constituency aspirants in the Bono East Region and later re-appointed to the regional vetting committee of the Western North Region. Ustarz Jibreel Sa-ad has also played a major role in the party’s legal representation and other mediation related matters.
Ustarz Jibreel Sa-ad is a solicitor of the superior court of Ghana who practices mainly in the Ashanti Region. Despite his success and recognition, he is very humble and continues to work hard to serve his community. He has inspired and assisted many young people from his constituency to read law—some of whom are now legal practitioners. After being called to the Bar he dedicated all his time serving individual clients and corporate bodies. Due to his prowess in law his colleagues have nicknamed him “The Law”.
Sa-ad’s after going through vetting and approved to contest in the primaries has seen his popularity grow not only among NDC members but in the constituency and beyond. Many people across the political divide are yearning for him to represent the NDC in the upcoming general election. He is seen as the hope for the next generation in Bawku Central constituency.
Mr Ustarz Jibreel Sa-ad’s team when contacted, said their candidate is privileged to be called upon to serve and sees this as an opportunity to serve the people of Bawku Central constituency and the party. According to them unity is high on the agenda considering that the motto of NDC is Unity, Stability and Development.
They said, “there is no way peace could be achieved without unity. In this regard, it is the vision of Ustarz to first of all bring together the youth and empower them. Empowerment is always at the centre of his campaign. To empower the youth in order to reduce poverty and which will invariably reduce, if not bring an end to the internecine conflict. That is the main reason why his motto for the election is “The Youth Agenda “.
Another important issue is to build an office complex for the party within which the constituency members will have a sense of unity. In order to also do away with the autocratic system where office affairs are being ran in one’s house.”
Again, he has said that the power belongs to the people and must be administered in the name of the people. In giving life to this statement, lawyer Ustaz has promised to meet with the people every 4 months to deliberate on how to develop the constituency if he is elected into office. He will not allow a third party to report to him the problems of constituents. He will come and interact with the people
Since education is key in empowering the youth and is something he has already been doing in his own small way, when given the opportunity he will institute a scholarship scheme in order to promote education in the constituency.
