The Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) will open a book of condolence for its late presidential candidate, Akua Donkor, at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) Thursday October 31, 2024.
Madam Donkor, who was third on the presidential ballot for the upcoming presidential elections on December 7, 2024, passed on at the Ridge Hospital last Monday.
A strong advocate for farmers and women, Madam Donkor was referred to the Ridge Hospital last Monday from the Nsawam Government Hospital.
The General Secretary of the party, George Afful, told the Daily Graphic that the party officials would be meeting to discuss the way forward.
He said the electorate and Ghanaians would be informed on the next line of action.
The running mate of Madam Donkor, Kwabena Agyeman Appiah Kubi, aka Roman Fada, said he had been devastated by her death.
Political career
Madam Donkor founded the GFP in 2011 and got it registered in 2012.
This was after she attempted an election as an Assembly member a number of times and failed at her native Kwabre in the Ashanti Region.
In 2004, she filed to contest as a Member of Parliament (MP) at Kwabre East in the Ashanti Region and competed with the late Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, a former Judicial Secretary and former Ashanti Regional Minister.
After two unsuccessful elections in 2004 and 2008 as an MP, and determined to move her political career a notch higher, she moved up into the presidential race.
Madam Donkor first made a claim to the presidency in 2012 as an independent presidential candidate, demonstrating her determination to win the elections.
She was, however, disqualified by the Electoral Commission (EC) for not meeting the requirements.
Her party was again disqualified from contesting the 2016 elections.
Madam Donkor was among three women presidential candidates who were cleared to contest the 2020 presidential elections.
Free education
After she was cleared by the EC to contest the 2024 elections, Madam Donkor promised to make education from primary to secondary level free if elected.
She promised to establish a free zone at the port of Tema to attract more businesses.
She also advocated that Ghana refined its resources, especially oil, saying that buying refined oil from other countries when the country is an oil producer was absurd.
In the lead-up to the 2024 general election, she was actively preparing for her campaign with just 39 days remaining, promising policies that included free vehicles for journalists, duty-free port services for the clearance of goods, free education, and improved remuneration for farmers.
Promoter of Twi language
Despite lacking formal education, Madam Donkor boldly stepped into the challenging political arena, a move widely admired by many Ghanaians.
Madam Donkor was an ardent promoter of the Twi language. In an interview she previously granted, she explained that although she had an English name — Veronica, she decided to drop it in order to sound more Ghanaian.
This name change, she explained, was a way to resonate more deeply with her roots, and it has become widely recognised and celebrated across Ghana.
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