NPP Parliamentary Primaries The Hot Seats To Look Out For

The main opposition New Patriotic Party is set to hold parliamentary primaries tomorrow in all, but 30 constituencies across the country to elect candidates to represent the party in the 2016 parliamentary elections.

Among the constituencies which have attracted keen attention, in view of the fierce nature of the contest and the contestants involve Suame, Asokwa, Nyiaeso, Kwadaso and Bantam, all in the Ashanti Region. New Juaben South, New Juaben North, Abuakwa South and Ofoasi-Ayirebi in the Eastern Region. Okaikoi North in the Greater Accra Region and Awutu Senya in the Central Region.

In the Suame constituency, the Minority Leader in parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, is facing a stiff challenge from two contestants, Gyemfi Boateng, a banker and John Darko, a private legal practitioner.

Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who went to parliament for the first time through the 1996 elections, has always been returned unopposed as the NPP’s candidate since 2004. In spite of what some people see as the spirited challenge he faces, he is confident of a landslide victory.

In the Asokwa constituency, people are watching with keen interest to see if Maxwell Kofi Jumah, the former; MP will succeed in the revenge he is seeking against the incumbent Patricia Appiagyei who defeated him in the previous primaries.

The ambition of Dr. Richard Anane to seek re-election into Parliament in the Nhyiaeso constituency also appears to be under serious threat following the stiff opposition he is facing from two young activities of the party. They are Stephen Amoah, a lecturer and a member of the NPP’s communication team, and Kennedy Kamkam, a former Ashanti Regional Youth Organizer of the party.

The situation appears the same in the kwadaso constituency where “the contest of doctors” has generated keen interest. The incumbent MP is Dr. Akoto Afriyie Owusu and his challengers include Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, a lecturer at the University of Ghana. Dr. Charles Dwamena, Chairman of the China branch of the party and Dr. S.K. Nuamah who is an engineer.

What makes the contest even more interesting is that the former MP for the area, Hilda Addo, is still determined to avenge the defeat she suffered in the hands of the incumbent.

The New Juaben North contest has also generated intense interest because Dr. Samuel Annor, who was defeated in his bid to retain his position as the party’s Eastern Regional Chairman, has not given up his determination to represent the electorate in parliament. He is seeking to avenge the defeat he suffered in the hands of the incumbent Nana Akwasi Adjei-Boateng who beat him in the previous primaries. The other contestant is Nana Osei-Adjei.

The situation appears the same in the New Juaben South constituency where Kofi Baafi, an insurance expert, is seeking to make the incumbent Mark Assibey Yeboah a one-term MP, just as he (Assibey) did to the former MP, Beatrice Bernice Boateng.

Also attracting equal amount of interest is the contest in the Okaikoi North, where Seth Adjei-Baah, a former MP for Nkawkaw, who is seeking to rejoin his colleagues in parliament, is facing a serious opposition from Kenneth Agyei-Kuranchi, managing editor of the Searchlight newspaper.

In the Abuakwa South constituency, the incumbent Samuel Atta Kyea has put up a spirited fight to overcome the challenge mounted against his third time parliamentary bid by Kwame Gyan, a private legal practitioner, and Kingsley Kwame Agyeman, a banker.

The contest in the Nkawkaw constituency also appears to be among the fieriest in the Eastern Region, with Joyce Opoku-Boateng, a private legal practitioner, battling it out with the incumbent Eric Kwakye Dafour, Mr. Darfour defeated Lawyer Opoku-Boateng and Okerchire Kwabena Adusah, a former MP for the area, in the previous primaries, Mr. Kwabena Adusah is not contesting in tomorrow primaries.

The other constituencies being watched with keen interest include Ofoase-Ayirebi and Awutu-Senya, where Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and George Andor are respectively seeking to contest the 2016 parliamentary elections on the ticket of the NPP.