The old adage that ‘the old order changeth, yielding place for new’ was put to play over the weekend as some old Members of Parliament (MPs) lost their seats to new faces in the just- ended parliamentary primaries by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Perhaps the most shocking of results were the big falls, especially in the Ashanti Region. At Nhyiaeso, Dr. Richard Anane lost to former Ashanti Regional Organizer, Mr. Kennedy Kankam.
Isaac Osei also lost his Subin seat to Eugene Boakye Antwi. He will be enduring life without Parliament together with Addai Nimoh and Dr. OwusuA friyie, all of who lost the Mampong and Kwadaso primaries respectively.
It was mixed results for women aspirants in the primaries. The party may perhaps be gnashing its teeth for not 'protecting' its incumbent women parliamentarians enough because some bigwig women MPs have become casualties to the primaries.
Gifty Klenam and Gifty Eugenia Kusi representing the Lower West Akim and TarkwaNsuaem constituencies all lost the primaries whilst 23-year-old Francisca Oteng Mensah, a student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology had a rather fascinating story.
The young woman snatched the Kwabre East candidacy from the incumbent MP KofiFrimpong and is on the verge of making history as the youngest MP if she wins the 2016 elections.
For journalists and members in corporate Ghana there was good news to report at OfoasiAyirebi and Awutu Senya West where, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and George Andah all won the primaries to represent the NPP in 2016 elections. However, Managing Editor of the ‘Searchlight’ newspaper, Ken Kuranchie had a sad story to tell as he lost the Okaikwei North poll. He did not lose to Seth Adjei Baah but to FuseiniIssah, who is thought to be the local boy.
After the big storm, "SuameMessi" the new name for the Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu managed to beat the "Don Bortey" who contested him in the Suame poll.
If the results were shocking, perhaps, developments before, during voting, and declaration of results were jaw dropping.
Maxwell Kofi Jumah, in a gangster fashion allegedly tore election papers and destroyed voting materials at his Asokwa constituency. He ended up in handcuffs and whisked away to prison to cool-off for a while. Jumah was beaten mercilessly by the incumbent Patricia Appiagyei.
There were fisticuffs at the Wa Central Constituency in the Upper West Region and pepper spraying at the Madina constituency in the Greater Accra Region.
At the Dome Kwabenya Constituency in the Greater Accra region, incumbent MP Adwoa Sarfo did not disappoint as she held on tight to her seat but not without controversy.
There have been several acclamations for many candidates who went unopposed but the story in Ada East Constituency was shockingly different.
Former Presiding Member (MP) for Dangbe East Municipal Assembly Kanor Senakey, who was the only candidate in the election by some strange reason, was rejected.
The delegates would rather have a candidate who did not have money to contest the primary.
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