Brong Ahafo conducts successful NPP primaries

The New Patriotic party (NPP) Member of Parliament for the Sunyani East Constituency, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, has retained his candidature, having beaten his only challenger, Ambassador George Kumi, by only one vote.

In last Saturday’s primaries, Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh had 388 votes with Mr Kumi securing 387 and there were two spoilt ballots. Supporters of the two contestants were sitting on the edges of their seats until the last count of the ballot.

An obviously relieved Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh embraced a member of his campaign team for about five minutes after the last count of the ballots, while his supporters sang some Christian choruses to thank God for the victory.
He was carried shoulder high and smeared with powder amid singing, drumming, dancing and tooting of horns.

Asunafo North

Only one incumbent Member of Parliament, Mr Robert Sarfo-Mensah (Asunafo North), lost in his bid to contest the seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) via last Saturday’s primaries in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Mr Sarfo-Mensah’s ambition to contest the seat for the third consecutive time was cut short when he was defeated by Evans Opoku Bobie.

Mr Bobbie obtained 321 votes against 228 by Mr Sarfo-Mensah. A third contestant, Mr Farouk Nkrumah, had 221 votes in the keenly-contested primaries.

Former MPs’ comeback bid

Three former MPs who participated in the primaries in the region sailed through in their bid to take part in the 2016 general election to recapture their lost seats.

Mr George Boakye obtained 354 votes to defeat three others, Kofi Sakyi, Asabere Paul and Joseph Amankwaah who got 76, 59 and 35 votes respectively while Mrs Cecilia Gyan Amoah won the primaries in the Asutifi South Constituency with 210 votes against 155 obtained by her challenger, Mr Robert Dwomoh Mensah.

Former MP for Tain, Mr Joseph Dankwa, won the primaries with 53 votes, beating five other contestants to get the nod to contest the Banda seat during the 2016 parliamentary elections.
The five others, Helina Awurusah, Paul Bafo, Emmanuel Donkor Tano, Noa Asare and Bintu Ibrahim had 16, 31, 21, 39 and 44 votes respectively.

However, two former MPs who were ministers of state, Professor Christopher Ameyaw Ekumfi and Captain Nkrabea Effah-Dartey (retd), failed in their bid to seek the mandate of their delegates to contest the 2016 gneral election.

Capt Effah-Dartey, who obtained only 24 votes, was defeated by the incumbent MP of Berekum West, Mr Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng, who got 138 votes, while two others, Mr Clement Amofa and Asante Yeboah had 88 and six votes respectively.

Professor Christopher Ameyaw Ekumfi also lost his comeback bid with 68 votes in Techiman North, with the winner, Mr Oti Martin Gyarko, obtaining 144 votes. The other five contestants, Peter Mensah, Okra Seth, Bright Boakye-Yiadom, Adu Nimoh William and Emmanuel Owusu got 79, 56, 5, 71 and two votes respectively.