Surprises in B/A Parliamentary contest
Friday, December 7, 2012, has gone down the memory lane after
Ghanaians voted for the sixth time to elect their President and 275 Members of
Parliament (MPs) in an election conducted by the Electoral Commission (EC).
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The announcement by the EC’s boss, Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, after two stressful days of voting, gave the Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Mahama 50.70 per cent, when he amassed a total of 5, 574, 761 of the valid votes cast to beat his closest political rival Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Presidential nominee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who secured 5, 248, 898 of the ballot, representing 47.74 per cent of the valid votes.
Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) took the third position when he obtained 64,362 votes, representing 0.59 percent, followed by Dr Henry Lartey, the leader of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), who got 38, 223 votes, representing 0.35 per cent with Mr Hassan Ayariga of the People’s National Convention (PNC) placing fifth with 24, 617 of the ballot, which represented 0.22 per cent of the valid votes cast.
The Convention People’s Party’s (CPP) flag bearer, Dr Michael Abu Sakara Foster obtained 20, 323 of the votes, representing 0.18 per cent while the Independent Candidate, Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah aka, JOY, posted 15, 201 votes, representing 0.14 per cent and Mr Akwasi Addai Odike of the United Front Party (UFP), made do with 8, 877 votes, representing 0.08 per cent of the ballot.
Arithmetically, the Chairman of the EC, declared Mr John Mahama, who incidentally was the incumbent President of the Republic, the winner of the election as the President-elect on Sunday night.
However, the largest opposition NPP declared their intention to contest the outcome of the election at the Supreme Court, citing fraud as the basis of their decision. On Tuesday and Wednesday, supporters of the party massed up at the Obra Spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra to stage a protest against the declared results by Dr Afari Gyan.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the President-elect and the 275 elected MP’s would be sworn in on January 7, 2013 per the 1992 Republican Constitution.
Out of the total 275 MP’s-elected, the Brong Ahafo Region, which previously had 24 constituencies, now boasts of 29 constituencies, with 2,740 polling stations, after the creation of the 45 new constituencies per the Constitutional Instrument (CI) 75.
The Constituencies are: Asunafo South, Asunafo North, Asutifi South, Asutifi North, Tano South, Tano North, Sunyani East, Sunyani West, Berekum East, Berekum West, Dormaa West Dormaa Central, Dormaa East, Jaman South and Jaman North.
The others are, Banda, Tain, Wenchi, Techiman South, Techiman North Kintampo North, Kintampo South, Nkoranza North, Nkoranza South, Atebubu/Amanti, Pru East, Pru West, Sene West and Sene East.
For the whole region, only two women contestants managed to sail through to the national assembly, in the persons of Ms Freda Prempeh of the NPP, a professional Journalist, and Ms Hannah Louisa Bisiw, the Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing in the Tano North and its sister Tano South Constituencies, respectively.
Among the new faces to appear in the 2013 parliament are Ms Prempeh, Ms Bisiw, Mr Eric Opoku, the Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister for the Asunafo South Constituency (NDC), Mr Benhazin J. Dahah (NPP), who defeated the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Asutifi, Mr Eric Addai, by 15,112 to 14, 285 votes in the Asutifi North Constituency and Ms Prempeh, who also beat the DCE for Tano North with 18, 531 to 14, 789 votes.
The other brand new entrants are: Dr Kwabena Twum-Nuamah (NPP) for the newly created Berekum East Constituency, Mr Vincent Oppong Asamoah (NDC), Mr William Kwasi Sabi (NPP), Dormaa East, Mr Siaka Stephens (NPP) for Jaman North, Mr Kwasi Agyemang Gyan–Tutu (NDC), Tain Constituency, Mr Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum (NDC), Nkoranza South, Mr Sanja Nanja (Atebubu/Amantin, Dr Kwabena Donkor (NDC), Pru East, Alhaji Masawud Mohammed and Mr Dominic Napare, the DCE for Sene for the Pru West Constituency.
At the end of the poll in all the 29 constituencies, there were a lot of surprises, as some of the widely tipped incumbent MPs, fell by the wayside, giving way to new faces. Notable among them was NPP’s Mr Andrew Adjei- Yeboah in the Tano South, who was dethroned by the NDC’s Dr Bisiw, the Deputy Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing.
The question some people in the region are asking is, did Mr.Adjei-Yeboah feel complacent and thought it was a done deal for him or was it that Dr Bisiw did her home work very well, hence the turn of events? I am sure my dear readers will make their own judgments.
A giant bill board displayed at a vantage point at the Bechem Lorry Station depicts the various social interventions that the NDC candidate had undertaken apparently in her bid to wrest the seat from the incumbent- that might have done the trick for her. She secured 19, 236 of the votes as against 17, 856 by her opponent.
The other surprise was in the Jaman North Constituency where the Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr Alex Asum-Ahensah, was defeated by the NPP’s Siaka Stevens with 14, 920 votes as against Mr Asum-Ahensah’s 14, 718 votes - a difference of 202 ballots. The Jaman North seat had always been the preserve of the NDC and so what happened this time around?
The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, also pulled a surprise when he managed to defeat Mr George Boakye, the incumbent NPP MP by 21, 770 votes to 18, 995 in the Asunafo South Constituency.
For the other shocker, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi was edged out by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Techiman, Mr Alex Kyeremeh, by 16, 537 votes to 13, 727. It must, however, be noted that, the Techiman North Constituency seat had been swinging to both parties in previous elections. Mr Kyeremeh has been a previous occupant.
Another upset was the contest between the incumbent NPP MP for Nkoranza South, Mr Kwame Ampofo Twumasi, and Mr Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, who polled 24, 536 votes to beat Mr Twumasi’s 19, 534. The guess for the defeat is yours, dear reader.
For the Nkoranza North constituency, Major Derek Oduro (Retd) beat his opponent, Mr Kwadwo Agyei-Dwomor of the NDC and the DCE for the area by 10, 254 to 9, 534 votes. Mr Robert Sarfo-Mensah of the NPP retained his seat when he out-punched the MCE for Asunafo, Alhaji Mohammed Kwaku Doku, by 28, 404 votes to 26, 820 in the Asunafo North Constituency.
Alhaji Collins Dauda obtained 16, 077 to beat his NPP opponent, Mr Yiadom Boakye-Boateng’s 12, 820 to shut the door for any election dispute as it happened between the two contestants in the 2008 parliamentary poll.
It should also be noted that for the first time in election history, the NDC Presidential Candidate, Mr Mahama, managed to secure more votes in the Wenchi Constituency, the backyard of Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, the Prime Minister of the Second Republic, under the Progress Party (PP) administration.
He obtained 20, 404 than the NPP aspirant’s 19, 692 but in the parliamentary poll, the NPP Candidate, Prof. George Yaw Gyan-Baffour got a higher vote of 20, 878 than the DCE for the Wenchi Municipality, Mr Yaw Osei Agyei, who managed 18, 660 of the votes.
What actually accounted for this scenario and other circumstances in this brief analysis? You may please make your own judgment.
Article by Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah.
