Akuapem South: NPP, NDC in fierce battle for supremacy

The political drama in the Akuapem South Constituency has reached its apogee as candidates of the two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), prepare for a showdown in the upcoming December 7, 2024, general election.

For NDC candidate, Lawrencia Adwoa Dziwornu, it will be her second attempt to flip the seat, while NPP's Eric Apeadu Yeboah is entering the fray as a debutant seeking to replace the outgoing Member of Parliament (MP), Osei Bonsu (OB) Amoah, who withdrew from the race in January 2024 for personal reasons.

Political history

The constituency, located within the Akuapem South Municipality in the Eastern Region, was formed out of the Aburi-Nsawam Constituency before the 2012 general election.

Its municipal assembly, Akuapem South Municipal Assembly (ASMA), is located in the capital, Aburi, which is about 20 kilometres from Accra.

The assembly is headed by Frank Aidoo, who has been the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) since 2017.

It shares boundaries with the Nsawam/Adoagyiri Municipality to the west, south-east by the Kpone-Katamanso District, to the south by the Ga-East Municipal and to the north-east by the Akuapem North Municipal.

The constituency is divided into 26 electoral areas and has a population of about 76,922, made up of 37,101 males and 39,821 females.

MPs elected

Since 1992, the Akuapem South Constituency, formerly known as Aburi-Nsawam, has elected four Members of Parliament, with Mr O.B. Amoah representing the New Patriotic Party for the past 14 years.

The constituency's first MP was the late Vida Yeboah, who served under the NDC from 1993 to 2000, before being succeeded by NPP's late Seth Wiafe Dankwa from 2001 to 2004.

Later, the late Magnus Opare Asamoah took office from 2005 to 2008 to underline the NPP’s dominance in the area.

Performance

Available data from the Electoral Commission (EC) revealed that O.B. Amoah secured victory for the NPP in 2012 with 50 per cent of the total votes, defeating NDC’s William Ntow Boahene, who had 34 per cent.

A new courthouse facility built by the government at Aburi

In his second term, Mr Amoah’s votes increased to 53 per cent in 2016, leaving the NDC’s current candidate, Lawrencia Dziwornu, with 32 per cent.

Interestingly, Mr Amoah’s votes appreciated further to 65.4 per cent in the 2020 election, while NDC’s Winston Kwadwo Afari-Djan managed only 34.6 per cent.

For the 2024 elections, the NPP has nominated Eric Apeadu Yeboah, an IT expert and a former assembly member with eight years of experience, who previously worked as a research assistant for the incumbent MP.

For its part, the NDC has re-nominated Lawrencia Dziwornu, who returns with her captivating personality, building on her previous bid for the seat.

Hard work

With an interest in community service, Mr Yeboah told the Daily Graphic in an interview in Aburi that the NPP would use hard work to increase its tally in the upcoming elections.

He said his unique understanding of the constituency's needs, having lived and worked there, made him the ideal representative to bring development and opportunities.

He said his top priority was to create jobs for the people by lobbying and attracting investors to establish firms in the constituency.

“We want to use a public-private partnership (PPP) approach to develop the Aburi Botanical Gardens (ABG) into a multipurpose facility to create jobs for the youth.

“As we speak, the government, through the Volta River Authority (VRA), is investing GH¢8 million to renovate the chalets and other infrastructure at the Aburi Gardens,” he said.

Mr Yeboah said even before he entered Parliament, he had already been involved in many projects that had helped create jobs for people, including the development of the Ghana Legal

Information Institute, an online portal adopted by the Judicial Service to publish judicial information.

“I developed the Oboadaka Waterfalls and Aburi Eco Park with the plan to create jobs in the area of tourism and agriculture, given that the constituency produces pineapple, cocoa and other commodities in large quantities.

“With the establishment of a new Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) school at Kitase, we are optimistic that we can produce skilled personnel for the booming eco-tourism market in the constituency,” he said.

He said plans were also in place to ensure that the municipal assembly enacted a by-law that would force firms operating in the constituency to reserve at least, 30 per cent of the jobs for the natives.

The NPP PC said plans were also underway to create a special market day to help bridge the gap between farmers and buyers, which often escalated the cost of produce due to the involvement of middlemen.

“These are all part of efforts to make the constituency commercially viable,” he added.

Opportunities

For her part, Ms Dziwornu outlined what she described as an ambitious agenda for her potential tenure as the Member of Parliament for the constituency.

Speaking at the Akuapem Adonten Odwira Festival, she stated that job creation for the youth would be a top priority for her regime.

She pledged to use her position to support individuals seeking opportunities abroad and provide resources for constituents to acquire driving licences and commercial vehicles.

She criticised the incumbent MP's lobbying efforts, indicating that Akuapem South had not received any astroturf project despite the government’s significant investment in that regard nationwide.

Ms Dziwornu vowed to rectify that oversight, promising to lobby for an astroturf facility in the constituency.

Additionally, she said her administration would be committed to empowering women by facilitating access to loans to enhance their businesses.

Ms Dziwornu added that she had gained experience over the years after contesting with the incumbent in 2016, unlike her opponent whose greatest achievement was as an assembly member.