The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Jirapa in the Upper West Region, Edward Kojo Salia is dead after a long battle with illness.
Hon Edward Salia died in the early hours of yesterday having suffered from a protracted throat ailment.
The death of the MP for the Jirapa constituency portends a preparation for the country’s first by-election since President John Evans Atta Mills assumed the Presidency in early January.
Hon Salia, who died at his Accra residence, was born at Amasaman on June 20, 1952 to Bajeluru Dorcie Salia and Madam Habiba Yiringasaa.
He left behind a wife and four children.
An alumnus of the University of Ghana, Legon, the deceased proceeded to ISS in The Hague, the Netherlands in 1977 for further studies, from where he went to Carleton and Ottawa universities in Canada.
Sources said the deceased was compelled to stand for the last election because it was thought that not doing so would have led to the NDC losing the seat.
Between 2005 and 2007, he was a student at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
His participation in active politics paid off when he eventually got chosen as MP for his native Jirapa in the 2000 polls.
He served as a member of a number of committees in Parliament, among them Finance, Works and Housing and Lands and Forestry.
Hon Salia was Minister of Transport under the first regime of the NDC.
His dream of retiring by 2012 after what has been considered a successful political career, having attained the highest political level of a cabinet minister for eight years, and 12 years as MP for Jirapa, did not come to pass as death has laid its icy hands on him.
An affable character, the deceased once described his relationship with other stakeholders in his district as “reasonably goodâ€Â, adding that it was with much tolerance and maturity that he cooperated with the DCE.
He maintained excellent relations with the chiefs in the area.
 By A.R. Gomda