Minister Collapses

A declaration of the Jaman North Constituency parliamentary results in the Brong Ahafo nearly sent the Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, Alexander Asum-Ahensah, to his early grave as he collapsed after he was declared loser in the keenly-contested polls. Mr. Asum-Ahensah, 59, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Jaman North who lost narrowly to the New Patriotic Party (NPP�s) Siaka Stevens, as at the time of filing this report, was on admission at the emergency unit of the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital at Sunyani receiving treatment. He was earlier rushed to the Sampa Government Hospital on Saturday dawn when he collapsed, but was later referred to the regional hospital due to his sketchy condition. The chieftaincy minister, who was seeking a third-term in office, lost by a difference of 202 after securing a total of 14,718 votes as against the MP-elect, Siaka Stevens, 47, who garnered home 14,920 votes. Surprising results from the other parts of the region gave the National Democratic Congress (NDC) a clear dominance of the region hitherto under the supremacy of the NPP. The ruling party swept a total of 16 parliamentary seats out of the total 29 seats leaving the opposition NPP to grasp just 13 seats. Interestingly, the NDC won four out of the five newly created constituencies in the region, namely, Banda, Pru West, Sene West and Dormaa West, while the NPP only managed to win the Berekum West seat. Some heavy weights in the NPP who lost their seats to the NDC were Professor Ameyaw Akumfi, incumbent MP for Techiman North who lost to the MCE of the area, Alex Kyeremeh; Twumasi Kwame Ampofo of Nkoranza South, who lost to the DCE of the area, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum; Andrews Adjei-Yeboah of Tano South lost to Deputy Works and Housing Minister Dr Hanna Luisa Bissiw with a slim margin, while Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Eric Opoku, fiercely snatched the Asunafo South seat from the incumbent NPP MP, George Yaw Boakye. The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, experienced another defeat in his fourth attempt to become the MP for Sunyani West after incumbent NPP MP Ignatius Baffour-Awuah gave him a ride for his money. Among the new entrants to the next parliament from the region were Freda Prempeh (Tano North, NPP); Benhazin Joseph Dahah (Asutifi North, NPP); William Kwasi Sabi (Dormaa East, NPP), Dr Kwabena Twum-Nuamah (Berekum East, NPP) and Dominic Napare (Sene East, NDC). Others were Alhaji Masawud Mohammed (Pru West, NDC); Dr Kwabena Donkor (Pru East, NDC); Sanja Nanja (Atebubu-Amantin, NDC); Adjei Mensah (Techiman South, NDC) and Kwasi Agyemang Gyan-Tutu (Tain, NDC). Incumbent MPs who retained their seats in the region were Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh (Sunyani East, NPP); Major Derek Oduro (Nkoranza North, NPP); Kwaku Agyeman-Manu (Dormaa Central, NPP); Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng (Berekum West, NPP); Yaw Maama Afful (Jaman South, NPP) and Professor George Yaw Gyan-Baffour (Wenchi). Others were Robert Sarfo-Mensah (Asunafo North, NPP); Alhaji Collins Dauda (Asutifi South, NDC); Ahmed Ibrahim (Banda, NDC); Stephen Kunsu (Kintampo North, NDC); Yaw Effah-Baafi (Kintampo South, NDC) and Kwame Twumasi Ampofo (Sene West, NDC). In all, 129 candidates filed in the region comprising 123 males and six females. The NPP and NDC filed 29 candidates each, 10 independent candidates, 21 each from both CPP and NDP, five from PNC and one each from both the URP and UFP.