Aspiring member of Parliament for Pusiga Constituency Abdul Karim Dubuire Zanni received a rousing welcome and drew huge praise from supporters as he arrived at Kulungungu for the 2023 Zekula Festival held on Saturday, May 6.
A shaky video of Mr. Dubrui’s arrival posted online shows a large crowd mobbing and applauding him as he nears. He took time to wave at the deafening crowd before ambling to his seat.
His arrival in the constituency comes just a week after holding a final funeral for his late mother in Konongo, and joining the Zekula celebration in his hometown was a moment of consolation as he came into contact with his fellow kinsmen and women.
He had turned up for the Festival celebrated by the Chiefs and people of the Bissa Ethnic Group of the Upper East, but had to delay taking his seat for several minutes as dozens of people shook his hand and chanted his name in appreciation.
His mere presence in the public gathering generated delirium at the Kulungungu School Park, where thousands had gathered to mark the colorful festival of unity.
He is a founding member of the Zekula Festival, which remains one of the biggest social gatherings in the region.
He had arrived purposely to join his people to celebrate the festival, and there was no chance the charismatic Bissa man would remain unnoticed at the gathering following his enormous contribution to the constituency.
Dubbed “Zekulafest 2023,” the iconic unity festival returned to full swing after a series of cancellations since 2018 following the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuous tribal conflict between the Mamprusis and Kusasis.
Mr. Dubuire contested and lost by 63 votes in controversial circumstances to the NDC’s Hajia Lardi Ayamba in the 2020 parliamentary elections.
The former banker and now banking consultant polled 14,866 votes, while the NDC’s candidates got 14,929 votes, an outcome he is challenging in court.
And his decision to contest again in the upcoming NPP primaries for the 2024 parliamentary election has attracted widespread praise from his constituents, who see him as the suitable candidate to wrestle the seat from the NDC.
The former Head of Operations for Stanbic Bank Ghana was mobbed by hundreds of cheering youth who looked desperate for a selfie or a high-five as he gave back an alluring smile.
He is one particular figure in politics who is enamoured by many in the constituency, marking a positive sign of victory as he prepares for the internal election.
He was one of six Bissas who contested for parliamentary seats in the 2020 election and the only one who did so on the ticket of the NPP.
Though he lost the bid to represent the people of the constituency in parliament by 63 votes, Mr. Karim Zanni’s performance through his candidature dismantled a long-held assertion and belief that the Pusiga constituency seat is a reserve for the opposition National Democratic Congress.
The party’s parliamentary primaries for orphan constituencies are scheduled between August 1 and 2.
He is expected to file his nomination between June 16 and July 14, a date announced by the party for all aspirants to submit their nomination forms.
About Abdul-Karim Dubuire Zanni
Mr Abdul-Karim Dubuire Zanni is currently the Chief Operating Officer for GDH Facilities Management since 2014 after leaving the position of Head of Operations for Stanbic Bank Ghana for 6 years. Before joining Stanbic, he was Head of General Services of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London; and prior to that, he was Deputy Head of Operations at Barclays Banks where he had worked for a total of 12 years in various positions. Prior to joining Barclays he was the Senior Estates Officer for CEPS and before then was Assistant Lands Officer at the Lands Commission where he started his working life. He is a trained Land Economist and a member of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS).