Who wins Cape Coast South?
Nicknamed the town of “beautiful nonsense,” Cape Coast Constituency has over the years been a very interesting seat to watch.
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Since the 1992 elections, Cape Coast has also been popular for its political decisions.
No politician can take Cape Coasters for granted. They will send you out and bring another in almost immediately.
Under the Fourth Republic, the parliamentary seat was first held by the National Convention Party in 1992 before it was taken over firmly by someone who has been described as the “iron woman” of Cape Coast politics, Madam Christine Churcher, for three consecutive terms.
NPP Rule
At that time the Cape Coast constituency seat (now divided into the Cape Coast North and Cape Coast South) could only be described as a stronghold of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The 1996 parliamentary election in Cape Coast was a straight fight between the NPP’s Christine Churcher and the National Democratic Congress’ Samuel Valis Akyianu.
In the end, Christine Churcher polled 30,496 of the votes representing 54 per cent of total votes cast, leaving Valis Akyianu with 46 per cent of the votes cast, marking the beginning of a three-term grip of the seat by the NPP.
The 2000 parliamentary election saw an even firmer grip of the seat by the NPP’s Christine Churcher. She won the seat with 31,573 representing 55.7 per cent this time against NDC’s renowned lawyer, Ebo Barton-Odro, who polled 23,550 votes, representing 41.6 per cent of the votes.
The rest of the votes were shared between the Convention People's Party’s Araba Bentsi-Enchill, who had 846 votes representing 1.5 per cent, the People's National Convention’s Macdonald Kobbs Tong, who polled 374 votes representing 0.7 per cent and the National Reform Party’s Kweku Orleans-Lindsay, who had 309 votes representing 0.5 per cent.
In 2004, Madam Churcher repeated her winning exploits, with 36,264. But this time NDC’s Barton Odro had bridged the percentage difference. He had polled 31,538 votes representing 44.5 per cent of votes cast.
Araba Bentsi-Enchill of the CPP polled 2,497, while Macdonald Kobbs Tongo of the PNC had 567.
In 2008, Cape Coast had decided that Lawyer Ebo Barton-Odro deserved a turn and so it was that lawyer Barton Odro won the parliamentary seat in 2008, beating NPP’s Amponsah Dadzie.
The constituency was divided into the Cape Coast North and South for the 2012 Election.
Barton-Odro represented Cape Coast North and won, leaving the South for newcomer, Kweku Ricketts Hagan, who continued the winning ways of Barton-Odro and beat Mr Alfred Thompson of the NPP to it.
2016 Election
This year, 2016, NPP brings the game on with its lawyer Michael Atta Dadzie against incumbent Kweku Ricketts Hagan of the NDC.
If it comes to the slogans, it’s “Nyame Ay3 (God has done it) for Atta Dadzie versus Kweku B3y3 (Kweku will do it)
Bright Drofenu of the PPP has also launched his campaign to contest the seat for the second time.
He has pledged to work to get the youth trained in employable skills.
A newcomer also for this year whose posters are already out, is Mr Albert Cobbinah, an independent candidate whose slogan is “Enuanom” and “Nyimpa bia ho hia” meaning everyone is important. He promises a leadership of love, honesty, unity and hard work.
Campaign Strategies
Now billboards of different sizes play key roles in the campaign strategies with incumbent Kweku Ricketts Hagan, Atta Dadzie and Bright Drofenu leading in this respect.
Mr Ricketts Hagan is likely to ride on his school busing system and support for needy students and the aged, educational infrastructure and the achievements of the NDC, including the building of the Kotokuraba Market as some of the successful undertakings he can be association with.
The others would hammer on the limited creation of jobs for the people and the need for accelerated development.
The quality of education at the basic school and the people’s inability to access the renowned high schools in the constituency would also have space in the messages of aspirants.
The coastal communitiesreally have a say in who goes to Parliament for the Cape Coast South Constituency and candidates are really at work in the communities.
Egya Adu, a resident, said his vote was secret and that he would vote for development.
Mr Anthony Nyame, the Electorial Commission (EC) Metropolitan Director of Cape Coast, said no one was a candidate yet because the EC had not opened nominations yet.
But the aspirants do not care much about that. The race is in Cape Coast South.