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Despite the ruling New Patriotic Party doing all possible means to maintain majority in parliament in the next election, if things remain same like it is today, then NPP is likely to lose these three parliamentary seats in the eastern region.
It is undeniable fact that eastern region is a stronghold of NPP because they have demonstrated consistencies in the previous elections with respect to the direction of their votes except in the 1992 elections where the whole party opted out of the contest.
So far the country has been to 7 different elections under the fourth republic and no one can take away the fact that eastern region is for the New Patriotic Party.
Though internal wranglings are expected in the parties especially in election years. But with parties in power, it is dangerous when these wranglings are not settled.
NPP is likely to lose Akwatia seat, Fanteakwa North and Suhum constituencies and these are the reasons.
Akwatia Constituency
The Akwatia constituency is one of the swings seats in the eastern region. It is highly contested and always a flashpoint during election. In 7 elections so far, NDC has won 3 while the NPP has won 4. In 1992, Hon.Gilbert Akwasi Agyei won on the ticket of NDC and in 1996 NDC won again with Alhaji Mohammed Erzuah Siam.
In 2000, Hon. Kinston Akomeng Kissi now the eastern regional chairman of the NPP snatched the seat and maitained it in the 2004 elections. In 2008, NPP brought in a fresh candidate in the person of Dr Kofi Asare (now late) and retained the seat.
In 2012, Hon. Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed returned the NDC to parliament but failed to retain it in 2016 as Hon. Mecry Adu-Gyamfi known in the political phase as Ama Sey won overwhelmingly with a record of 21,433 representing 57.21% for the party in that constituency by beating the incumbent, Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed who also secured 15,905 votes, representing 42.45%.
Going into 2020 election, Hon. Mercy Adu – Gyamfi is dropped and has registered her displeasure towards how she was treated in the primaries for which reason, she is running independent come December 7. Her major reason for not accepting the the results of the primaries is that after losing with 223 votes to Ernest Kumi who garnered 227 votes, she realised 4 ghost names in the booklet had voted. Failure to resolve this issue, has landed her into going independent which would highly influence the outcome of the election and NPP is likely to to lose that seat.
Fanteakwa North Constituency.
Formerly Fanteakwa district had Nicholas Darko Asomaning as the first MP on the ticket of the NDC. Hon. Smauel Ofosu Ampofo (current National Chairman of NDC) retained the seat for the NDC in 1996 and won again in 2000 but lost in 2004 to the NPP parliamentary candidate, Hon. Kwadjo Agyei Addo and that was the first time NPP had won the fanteakwa seat.
However, in 2008, Hon. Kwasi Amankwa Asiamah (incumbent MP) also retained the seat for the NPP and has been so till now.
Going into the 2020 elections, NPP is divided. Divided in the sense that a former financier of the party and a disqualified parliamentary candidate aspirant for the party, Moro Sakyiamah Yakubu, has resigned from the party and running on independent ticket.
He is currently campaigning on the basis that the constituency chairman of the party has allegedly claimed that he would never allow a northerner nor a krobo to become MP as long as he is alive. Again, it is important to know that the NDC strategically created fanteakwa North and south so they can win one of them. Majority of residents of Fanteakwa North are northerners and krobos and the steps taken by Kaptin Moro would go a long way to affect the NPP if they don’t stop them now. In the last election, NPP’s Hon. Amankwah Asiamah won with 11,380 votes while his closest competitor, Abass Fuseini of NDC garnered 9,472 votes, a difference of 1,908 votes. If things remain same as it is now, NPP is likely to lose fanteakwa north seat.
Suhum Constituency
One of the hotspots during election is the suhum constituency. The incumbent member of parliament, Hon. Opare Ansah lost the primaries to Oboafo Kwadwo. NDC is also bringing a new face into the contest, Amanda Okyere Akwatia. However, the NPP has failed to resolve their differences prior to their primaries. Due to that the current parliamentary candidate for NPP is not campaigning on the achievements of the MP rather the achievements of the municipal Chief executive.
Moreover, with a difference of about 5,000 votes in the 2016 elections, it would highly cost the NPP if friends, sympathisers, and well wishers of Fredrick Opare Ansah fail to vote for Oboafo Kwadwo.
NPP currently represents 28 MPS from the eastern region in parliament as against 5 from NDC.
By: Nana Gyasi | Radio 1| Ghana
