The massive endorsement of Ebi Bright, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for Tema East in the 2024 Elections, by members of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, as the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of Tema, was an act of reverence to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
The Honourable Assembly members rallied and gave the massive stamp of approval in appreciation of the Speaker, who had earlier met with them and urged them to endorse the hardworking Ebi Bright.
The Speaker’s request for the endorsement was basically a marching order for them because Assembly Members across the country revere him as a father figure.
“When your father requires a favour of you, you go all out; especially when he is the kind of father that does not often asks for favour from you’’ Joe Amissah, Assembly Member for the Black Cat Electoral Area in Tema Community 9 explained.
According to him, “it was a privilege for every single Assembly member to honour the Speaker with this endorsement.’’
The endorsement of Ebi Bright after her nomination for the MCE office by President John Dramani Mahama was one of the smoothest in the history of the Fourth Republican democracy.
Out of a total of 31 Assembly Members, only three did not endorse her – the rest gave their endorsement emphatically.
This smooth outcome did not happen by chance – prior to the vote, the Speaker had met with the Assembly Members in Parliament House and urged them to endorse her nomination overwhelmingly.
The Speaker’s request had been seconded by the doyen of decentralisation and local government, Prof Kwamena Ahwoi.
“Among Assembly Members, Speaker Bagbin is a voice of reverence and so when he called and made the request, we were more than happy to oblige him his request, hence the massive endorsement,” added Joselyn Quansah, a government appointee at the TMA, who spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the endorsement at the TMA.
At a heavily attended programme, the endorsement of Ebi Bright drew the crème de la crème in Ghana politics to the TMA on Friday – where she mingled with a teeming crowd of residents and indigenes alike.
Among them were Ebi Bright’s predecessor, MCEs, including Brilliant Yohane Amarh Ashitey, Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, Kempes Ofosuware and hardworking Isaac Ashai Odamtten, who as the current Member of Parliament for Tema East and Board Chairman of TDC, who hosted the endorsement meeting.
Others were Courage Kokroko, the District Chief Executive of South Dayi in the Volta Region, the TDC Boss, Courage Nunekpeku, Alhaji Adam Abubakar, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Imam, Cynthia Comley Adjetey, alias Happy Yourself, Member of the Council of State, and Emmanuel Amoah, Assembly Member for South Dayi in the Volta Region.
The rest are the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Akweley Ocloo, Alfred Adjei, President of NALAG, Noah C. Apedo, a leading member of the ruling NDC in Tema East, Edmund Abo Quarcoo, an educationist and Deputy Tema East NDC secretary.
In her acceptance speech, Ebi Bright was full of gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama for nominating her for the position saying she was humbled by the confidence reposed in her.
She vowed to champion the president’s reset agenda in Tema, where she said has been her home and haven since her childhood.
Ebi Bright also praised the Assembly Members for their massive endorsement promising to work together with them to ensure that president Mahama’s transformational agenda for the country fully benefits Tema.
With her audience captivated at her every word, Ebi Bright, a popular actress with physical beauty, who led the NDC to shake Tema Central, a traditional stronghold of the NPP in the 2024 elections, emphasised how Tema where she schooled and lived all her life is now imprinted in her very blood.
And because the people of Tema are very cordial, she said, she was very confident that she would not have problems at all partnering with the people to develop the popular metropolis.
Meanwhile, her nomination and endorsement have been praised by some renowned elders of the Tema metropolis, including, international Diplomat and Economist, Michael Yaw Offei and former Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery, Dr Alphonse Kwao Dorcoo.
The two have especially praised president Mahama for offering young people opportunities in his government, citing Ebi Bright as an example.
The Presiding Member of TMA, Felix Kwakye Sobre, Anthony Anoom of the Republic Electoral area, Kwasi Poku Bosompem, Tema West NPP Chairman, Charles Brobby, alias Freshers, an NDC guru in Tema, Apostle Dr Eric Emefa Agbogedenu, a respected man of God, Seidu Abdulai, a government appointee, Jibril Abdulai, national security co-ordinator at TDC and Baba Abu Abdulai, a legal practitioner and an NDC heavyweight in Tema, James Ashimadi, Tema East vice chairman, Theophilus Nii Ankamah Densu Tetteh, a leading member of Tema East NDC and Pastor Richard Ahiagbedey of Adonai International Ministries were among the many people who applauded Ebi Bright for her brilliant acceptance speech.
Stephen Ashitey Adjei, alias Moshake, a former controversial executive member of Tema East NDC who initially did not want to talk to this reporter later said “the decision to nominate Ebi Bright to TMA was based on sound tactical political judgement and I think that her husband, Rockson Nelson Etsey Dafeamekpor, the hardworking Majority Chef Whip and MP for South Dayi is the political bulldozer behind Ebi Bright’s success. Infact, Dafeamekpor deserves praise”.
Also in attendance include members of the Tema Traditional Council, High Profile politicians, the Clergy, celebrities, businessmen and women, captains of industry as well as security chiefs.
