Can NDC break NPP’s hegemony in Sekondi?

The Sekondi Constituency in the Western Region is one of the parliamentary seats that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is hotly targeting to capture in the December 7 polls.

This is one seat that has eluded the opposition NDC since 1996. Except for 1992 when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) boycotted the parliamentary election, which enabled the Late Albert Bosomtwi-Sam to occupy the seat, Sekondi remains a waterloo for the NDC.

So determined is the NDC’s candidate, Blay Nyamekye Armah, to unseat the NPP that the party is leaving no stone unturned to achieve a historical victory. The question that remains, however, is whether he has the capacity to boot out the current NPP MP, Andrew Agyapa Mercer.

Mr Mercer took the baton from NPP stalwart Papa Owusu Ankomah, who was MP for Sekondi for five consecutive terms (1996 to 2016) and thus remained on the seat for 20 years.  

The contest for the Sekondi seat is nonetheless a two-horse race between practising lawyer Mercer and non-practising one, Blay. The incumbent MP is running for the third time, while Blay, who is a first-timer, has to work harder to win the seat and make history.

While Blay is running his campaign on the slogan ‘cool running’, Bobo, as the MP is popularly known, is showcasing his achievements on giant billboards at vantage points in the constituency.

Electoral areas

The constituency consists of nine electoral areas, namely Yensuado, Anafo, Assamansudu, Zongo - Estate and Bakaekyir.

The rest are Ekuasi-Essaman, Nkotompo, Adiemra, and Kwei-Kuma.

In the last election, Mr Mercer won with 17,259 votes, a difference of 6,949 ahead of his closest rival, Charles Hagan of the NDC, who garnered 10,310.

Sekondi is an urban area with mostly educated constituents who vote on issues rather than attacking personalities. This is seen in the outcomes of previous elections. 

Constituents

In interactions with some constituents, they indicated their admiration for the two candidates but expressed the belief that the candidate with the right message would win the election.

A trader at the Sekondi market, Agnes Mills, said the qualities she would be looking out for included humility and cheerful giving.

In addition, she said she would vote for someone who had women at heart and was ready to assist them.

"To me, it is a David and Goliath affair, but I will not disclose my preferred candidate. I have monitored developments in the constituency and this will determine who to vote for," a resident of Akuasi, Ekow Arthur, told the Daily Graphic.

He said although he had not decided yet who to vote for, he would definitely cast his ballot come December 7.

"I am a first-time voter and I will weigh a lot of options," he added.

Profile of candidates

Andrew Agyapa Mercer is a 51-year-old legal practitioner and politician. He has been a Member of Parliament for Sekondi since 2017 and is currently the Minister of Tourism and Creative Arts.

He schooled at the Adisadel College in Cape Coast, the University of Ghana and the Ghana School of Law.

Blay Nyamekye Amarh had his secondary school education at the University Practice, Secondary School in Cape Coast in the Central Region and Nsein Secondary School in the Western Region.

He studied at the University of Ghana, University of Birmingham and the University of West Minister, both in the United Kingdom.