President of the AfCFTA Chamber of Producers and Suppliers (AfCOPS) has filed nomination to run in the opposition National Democratic Congress primary in the Asawase Constituency.

Mabarick Masawudu is running against incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, who has been in parliament since April 21, 2005.

Mr. Masawudu was refused the right to contest the Asawase NDC parliamentary primaries in 2019 by the party's national leadership owing to certain internal concerns, resulting in the incumbent Member of Parliament, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, running unopposed.

However, after filing his nomination for the first time this year, the parliamentary candidate stated that he is confident that he will topple the current MP.

He claimed that despite having every opportunity to promote the constituency since taking office, Mr. Mubarak chose to pursue his own interests instead.

"Muntaka Mubarak hasn't been able to properly explore the opportunities given to him by the Asawase constituency despite his many years in office," he alleged.

Mr. Masawudu further stated that Asawase is now in shambles due to the Member of Parliament's inability to successfully lead the party.

"The reputation of the constituency is in tatters, every four years, there's one scandal or the other that you will hear about Asawase, we the young people feel that is doing a great disservice not only to the party but also to the people in the constituency," he indicated.

He believes he is the ideal candidate to head the party in the constituency in 2024 because of his love and support for the constituents.

Mr. Masawudu is certain that after unseating the incumbent Member of Parliament, he will work relentlessly to ensure that the NDC retains its dominance in the constituency.

Asawase NDC constituent, Faisal Dauda, remarked that he has backed Mr. Masawudu due to his leadership abilities.

According to him, the parliamentary candidate has a strong vision for the constituency and the capacity to bring together all of the party's followers and leadership.

Mr. Dauda accused the incumbent MP of using his incumbency to harass party members in the constituency and hence does not deserve to head the party into the 2024 elections.

Mr. Masawudu, as President of the AfCOPS, oversees the strategic growth of the network among the countries that comprise the Continental Free Trade Area.

He is also the CEO of Newgen Energy, a specialized energy solutions provider located in Africa that develops, plans, builds, and owns distributed power production facilities, energy-saving initiatives, and energy infrastructure outsourcing to keep cities and industries functioning efficiently.