Suhum Constituency: Can NDC sneak through supposed cracks in NPP?
With barely five months to the December 7 polls, one of the constituencies in the Eastern Region where the parliamentary elections will be keenly contested by the two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is the Suhum Constituency.
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Although the NPP has won all the parliamentary elections in the constituency since 1996 apart from the 1992 election which the governing party boycotted, thereby offering the seat to the opposition NDC, this year’s parliamentary contest would be hot following perceived cracks within the NPP.
While some constituents are rooting for the incumbent NPP Member of Parliament (MP), Kwadjo Asante, to contest as an independent parliamentary candidate in the December 7 elections after he lost in the party’s parliamentary primaries in the early part of this year, others are of the view that with the development, the NDC stood the chance to win the seat.
The reason being that if the ruling party is unable to close its ranks in the constituency before the polls in December it would affect its fortunes to retain the Suhum parliamentary seat.
Views of constituents
Some electorate in the constituency told the Daily Graphic that since 1992, all the MPs who won the seat had not met the constituents’ expectations because they failed to improve their living conditions.
Kwadjo Asante — Incumbent MP for Suhum Constituency, Prince Kwadwo Addo Tabiri — NDC Parliamentary aspirant for Suhum, • Frank Asiedu Bekoe —NPP Parliamentary aspirant for Suhum
A trader who sells oil and spices at the Suhum main Market, Esther Gyamfua, said she would only vote for a candidate who would better her living standard.
She said for some time now, most traders at the market were struggling to sell their products because people were not buying due to the economic hardship confronting the country which seriously affected the local economy.
Ms Gyamfua stated that she would vote for someone who would help the traders to secure soft loans with reduced interest rates to grow their businesses.
She said looking at all the parliamentary aspirants for the 2024 general election in the constituency, it was the incumbent MP, Mr Asante, who had done very well in the area of infrastructure development and the improvement of lives of the people and, therefore, urged him to contest as an independent candidate.
She added that she would vote for him if he went independent, to continue his good works.
A taxi driver at the Suhum main lorry station, Seidu Salifu, said all individuals who served as MP did not do anything to improve the lives of the people in the constituency apart from the current MP, Mr Asante.
He appealed to all aspiring parliamentary candidates to come up with implementable policies and programmes to further improve the socio-economic conditions of the people and not to deceive the voters for the sake of votes.
Mr Salifu indicated that parliamentary candidates must show commitment to the welfare of the people, stressing that he would vote for persons who show commitment to the welfare of the voters.
A resident of Suhum, Abedi Kwadwo, said apart from the incumbent MP, Mr Asante, who was defeated during the NPP's primaries, all other MPs had not performed and, therefore, called on him (Mr Asante) to consider contesting as an independent candidate in this year’s parliamentary elections.
This year, the odds seem not to be favouring the NPP which has held the seat since 1996.
This is because the incumbent MP, who recently lost in the party’s January 27 parliamentary primaries, is likely to contest as an independent candidate because he has the backing and endorsement of the constituents.
Threat
Although Mr Asante has not publicly announced his decision to contest the parliamentary election in the Suhum Constituency, his posters bearing inscriptions such as "maintain Oboafo Kwadjo Asante as MP," "the King of development, defy the party’s orders not to contest as independent candidate in December 7 polls." Posters with the insription "Oboafo toaso", among others, are in all the communities of the constituency.
A football pitch constructed at the Roman School park
This poses a threat to Frank Asiedu Bekoe, currently the Director of Political Affairs at the Office of the Chief of Staff, who won the primary.
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Mr Bekoe, who is a new comer in the race, is not as popular as Mr Asante who has already marketed himself by going to all the communities within the constituency.
Such a development is expected to dim the fortunes of the NPP at the December elections which may enable the NDC's parliamentary candidate, Prince Kwadwo Addo Tabiri, to easily sail through to emerge the winner.
On the other hand, if the NPP is able to close its ranks for peace and unity to prevail within the party and the incumbent MP drops his parliamentary ambition by smoking the peace pipe with Mr Bekoe, it is likely that the NPP will again be victorious come December 7.
Projects
The NPP Communications Director for the Suhum Constituency, Samuel Baah, told the Daily Graphic that the ultimate vision of Mr Asante was to make the NPP very attractive and more visible in the constituency so that it can obtain more votes for the party at the December 7 polls.
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An asphalted roads in the constituency
He stated that under the reign of the MP, the Suhum Constituency witnessed massive infrastructural development within the period of three and half years in the area of education, health and job creation, apprenticeship programmes, sports and rural electrification project, all geared towards improving the living conditions of the people.
On education, Mr Baah said the MP was able to construct an eight-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities for Koransang Primary and Kindergarten (KG), a three-unit classroom block with staff offices for Nana Kwaku Gyase at Nankese, a three-unit classroom block with required facilities for Okorase Junior High School (JHS), and rehabilitated the Azorh Basic Primary School.
With regard to health, he indicated that Mr Asante had also rehabilitated a dilapidated clinic with his personal resources at Snar Community to help enhance healthcare delivery especially in the Okanta Electoral Area.
Touching on youth development in sports, Mr Baah said the incumbent MP constructed a standard football park at Roman Catholic School to help unearth talents in sports, especially football.
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Other projects, Mr Baah explained, included the construction of bridges in communities such as Suhum Ali Zango to help curb the perennial flooding anytime it rained heavily, a mechanised borehole at Bokor and Koromameng, respectively, and an abattoir for Suhum butchers,
On rural electrification project, the Suhum Constituency Communications Officer of the NPP indicated that the MP had also facilitated the extension of electricity to some deprived communities such as Akuapemfum, Abisim, Appiah Danquah and Pinto to enable the people to enjoy uninterrupted power supply.
Mr Baah further stressed that Mr Asante enrolled over 500 youth in the constituency into apprenticeship programmes such as tailoring; fashion designing, hairdressing and make-up, among others, to enable the beneficiaries to acquire knowledge and skills to be financially independent in future.
To further enhance the socio-economic living conditions of the people, he stated that commercial drivers in the constituency had also been given vehicles primarily to be able to work and pay later. Scholarships were also given to students to further their education at the highest level.
Some of the work and pay taxis packed
Mr Baah said the constituents had petitioned the incumbent MP to immediately declare his intention to contest as an independent candidate in this year's elections since he had been described by them as Adwumawura.
Population
Per the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC), the constituency has a total population of 126, 403 made up of 61,226 males and 65,177 females, out of which 73,761 are registered voters per the 2020 Voter Register by the Electoral Commission.
Suhum is the constituency where many of the voters reside with towns such as Nankese Akorabo, Amanhyia, Akote and other numerous farming communities.
It is a heterogeneous constituency made up of people of various ethnic groupings such as the Akyems, Akuapems, Ga-Adangbe, Krobos, Ewes and people from the northern sector of the country, made up of Dagombas, Mamprusis, Frafras, Dagaaba, Hausas, all living in peace and harmony.
In view of such a situation, the constituency has not witnessed any major political disturbances such as ballot box snatching or any form of assault during voting since 1996.
Election history
Apart from 1992 to 1996 when the NDC occupied the seat because the NPP boycotted the 1992 elections, the constituency has become a battle ground for the NPP and the NDC.
An eight- unit classroom block for the kindergarten and primary school at Koransang
Although the NPP was able to dislodge the NDC after Solomon Akwetey Kujoe won the seat in 1996 to represent the NDC in Parliament after which the NPP won subsequent elections, this year's election, which is so crucial to both parties, is going to be keenly contested between the two dominant political parties.
The other political entities such as the People's National Convention (PNC) and the Convention People's Party (CPP) seem not to be on the ground in the constituency, thus making the December 7 polls in the constituency a two-horse race between the NPP and the NDC, each trying to overcome the other for the seat.
Voting trends
Going by the records in the 2000 general election, NPP's Ransford Agyapong obtained 16,494, representing 54.90 per cent, while the NDC's Julius Debrah polled 12,368 votes, constituting 41.20 per cent.
In 2004, NPP's Frederick Opare-Ansah obtained 21,720, representing 55.50 per cent of the votes cast as against NDC’s Julius Debrah, who secured 17,125, constituting 43.50 per cent of the votes cast.
The 2008 elections was also a field day for the NPP whose candidate, Mr Opare-Ansah, secured 17,461 to beat NDC's Fleischer Kwabi who had 15,824.
In 2012, the NPP’s Opare-Ansah won the race with 24,046 votes to beat the NDC's Julius Debrah who followed closely with 23,658, a difference of only 388 votes.
The trend continued in 2016 with NPP's Opare-Ansah securing 25,328 votes, representing 55.0 per cent while Margaret Ansei of the NDC had 20,762 constituting 45.1 per cent of the total valid votes cast.
In the 2020 polls, Kwadjo Asante of the NPP garnered 34,049 votes, representing 63 per cent as against the NDC's Amanda Okyere Kotia, who obtained 19,192 votes making up 36 per cent of the total valid votes of 53,779.
With the current development in the constituency, which party would win the parliamentary seat, is it the NPP or the NDC?
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