Parties lacing boots for another showdown at Tema Central
The Tema Central Constituency is located in the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.
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Among the many key public institutions hosted by the constituency is the Tema General Hospital and the Chemu Senior High School.
The constituency came into being prior to the 2012 general election when the Electoral Commission (EC) created some 45 constituencies across the country. The NPP won the parliamentary battle in the very first election in the Tema Central constituency by defeating the NDC for the new seat.
Presidential race
In the Presidential race in the Tema Central Constituency, Mr John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) polled 16,635, representing 36.92 per cent of the votes the New Patriotic Party (NPP), led by Nana Akufo-Addo, garnered 27,998 votes representing 62.14 per cent, Mr Henry Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) polled 29 votes, (0.06 per cent) and Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) obtained 292 votes (0.65 per cent). Mr Akwasi Addai Odike, United Front Party (UFP), polled 0 (0.00 per cent), Mr Hassan Ayariga, representing the People’s National Convention (PNC) had 17 votes ( 0.04 per cent), Dr Michael Abu Sakara of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) clawed 85 votes (0.19 per cent) and Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah, an Independent candidate, secured three votes (0.01 per cent).
Parliamentary Results
For the parliamentary seat for the constituency, a businessman, Mr Kofi Brako, won the virgin seat on the ticket of the NPP with 26,948 voters, representing 59.87 per cent, as against 14,360 polled by Lawyer James Enu, the NDC candidate, with a percentage of 31.90 per cent. Other contestants in that race included; Mr Kwabena: Amuquandoh Okyere, who contested on the ticket of the PPP, polled 3,510 (7.80 per cent) while Mr Isaac Nuku Kofi Asempa of the CPP, secured 193 votes (0.43 per cent).
Race for Election 2016
Fast forward to election 2016, the various political parties in the constituency are lacing their boots for another showdown. So far the NPP and the NDC have selected their candidates and seriously campaigning. The incumbent MP, Mr Kofi Brako, popularly known in the constituency as “KB”, won what seemed like an acrimonious primary in July 2015 after a number of postponements and heated arguments. He polled 315 votes to defeat his contender, Mr Agyemang Prempeh Ramseyer, who garnered 95 votes. On the side of the NDC only one candidate, Ms Ebi Bright, an actress and a film producer, filed nomination to contest for the constituency on the ticket of the party. This was after initial rumour went viral in the constituency that she had shown interest in contesting as the Parliamentary Candidate on the ticket of the CPP in the constituency. The choice of Ms Bright came after the contestant for the NDC in the constituency, Lawyer James Enu opted to contest the Tema West seat. So far, Mr Brako and Ms Bright are the only two names that have popped up with just a few months heading to the election. The other political parties are not as vibrant as these two major ones and only time will tell if they will show up for the race.
NDC’s selling point
Ms Bright, in a recent interview with The Mirror newspaper, spelt out why she is contesting the race.
She, among other things, said “Living in this community alone to me is the most important part of politics as that is the best way to understand the people and their issues,” she said. She explained that there was an assumption that the area is a stronghold of the NPP, saying that it does not hold, as voters have become more discerning and moved from voting for parties to voting based on the candidate and what they can do.
According to her, no political party can boast a ‘safe seat.’ Although she is optimistic about winning the seat in the November election, her focus is also to build a united constituency where its members can come together and work towards achieving a common goal. Aside acting, Ms Bright is a social worker who has worked with many groups on some social issues and so she believes politics is a step up to what she has been doing all this while.
“Development communication puts me at a place where I worked as a bridge between deprived communities and development partners and so politics is moving me a bit higher into policy making,” she explained. She said although the constituency was considered as one of the areas that had most social amenities in place, it still faced a number of challenges which needed to be addressed. “Key among them is the increasing number of slums in the city centre which she believes could be reduced if proper measures are put in place” the paper quoted her.
NPP’s selling point
Addressing the party members during a recent tour of the area by the running mate, to the NPP Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP Constituency Chairman, Mr Charles Boateng, was empathic that the NPP would not only retain the seat but increase its margin of the votes and push the party into power.
He touted the achievement of the incumbent MP during his first tenure as MP for the constituency. These include the grassing of the Community 4 TDC and Community 7 Valco Parks, the provision of an antenatal facility for the Tema General Hospital, provision of an ICT laboratory for the Community 4 Republic Road JHS as well as the construction of nine-seater water closet washroom facility for the Community 8 number 3 JHS as some of the achievements that will give the MP an overwhelming endorsement at the general election.
Mr Boateng was of the firm belief that his candidate, who once served as a polling station chairman, rose through the ranks to become the Electoral Area’s first vice chairman of the NPP and the campaign manager for the Tema East Constituency, chairman of the Finance Committee for the Greater Accra Regional branch of the NPP, member of the National Council of the NPP, was better placed to lead the party to victory.
He further predicted that after the limited registration exercise held recently, the party was confident of harnessing an additional 18,000 votes to what it secured in the 2012 general election to push the NPP, led by its presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, back to political power. Without doubt, the Tema Central Constituency is firmly tucked under the sheets of the NPP but as far as elections are concerned the cliché "never say never” may play into with the table turning in favour of other contesting parties.