17 Women sail through NDC primaries

At least 17 women have so far been elected by the delegates of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to contest parliamentary elections in 11 constituencies across the country for the 2020 general election.

That constitutes about 10.8 per cent of the total of 157 elected in the first batch of the parliamentary primaries held last Saturday nationwide.
Out of the number, the Greater Accra and Volta regions had four each, two from the Eastern, two each from Brong Ahafo and Central and one each from the Savannah and Western regions.

Whereas five of the women who won last Saturday’s parliamentary primaries are incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs), the remaining nine are fresh faces. Some are businesswomen, philanthropists and former district/municipal chief executives.

The incumbent MPs who won are Madam Helen Ntoso (Krachi West), Ms Linda Obenewaa A. Oklu (Shai Osudoku), Dr Zanetor Agyemang Rawlings (Klottey Korley), Dela Sowah (Kpando) and Joycelyn Tetteh (North Dayi).

The fresh faces are Hajia Zuwera Braimah (Salaga South), Mavis Ama Frimpong (New Abirem), Ms Amanda Okyere (Suhum), Dorcas Toffey (Jomoro), Millicent Amankwa Yeboah (Sunyani West) Elikplim Akurugu (Dome-Kwabenya), Rachel Owusuah (Dormaa East), Madam Rita Odoley Sowah (La Dadekotopon), Dzifa Gomashie (Ketu South), Margaret Quarcoo (Hohoe), Betty Mensah (Afram Plains North), Ms Gizella Tetteh (Awutu Senya West) and Ms Emelia Ankomah (Upper Denkyira East).

Male battle

The constituencies where some of the women won had males as their contenders. For instance, in the Dome-Kwabenya and Salaga South and Klottey Korle constituencies, the women had to battle it out with at least three men who tried to get the delegates to vote for them.

In the Klottey-Korle Constituency, Dr Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings took out the two men who contested her.

She won the primaries with 671 votes, representing 47.45 per cent of total votes cast.

Her closest contender, Mr Leeford Quarshie, garnered 336 votes, representing 23.76 per cent, and the third contestant, Mr Muhamad Bashiru Nii Armah Alema, managed to get 260 votes, representing 18.39 per cent of total votes cast.

The total valid votes cast were 1,267, with three rejected ballots.

In the Salaga South Constituency battle, Hajia Zuwera Braimah managed to beat three men. She garnered 472 votes to win the election in the Savannah Region.

She beat Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakari Dey, a former two-term MP for Salaga, and Alhaji Ahmed Saaka Shaibu Dan, a second-time contestant who came second in the 2016 parliamentary primaries behind Dey.

This is the first time since 1992 that a woman has won the Salaga South ticket in the NDC parliamentary primaries.

In the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency, Madam Elikplim Akurugu, a popular women in the area, showed her dominance among her three male contenders after winning with 813 votes. Her closest contender, Mr Israel Nornyibey, got 678 votes.

The battle in the La Dadekotopon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region also saw Madam Rita Odoley Sowah beat three male contenders.

She polled 902 votes to beat her main contender, Mr John Fiifi Kommey, who managed to poll 338 votes. Other candidates, Jake Kwei Adjei and Harold Thompson, polled 136 and 65 votes respectively.

It was an all-women battle in the Krachi West Constituency in the Volta Region when the sitting MP, Madam Helen Ntoso, outclassed her only contender with total votes of 496 as against 175.

History made

In the new Abirem Constituency in the Eastern Region, a former Eastern Regional Minister, Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, won the contest with 622 votes to become the first female to contest in the area.

She beat a former District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr Paul Aboagye-Dadzie, who got 100 votes.