NDC out of Abetifi by-election today
Once again, the failure of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to participate in another by-election has taken the shine out of the Abetifi Constituency election.
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Unlike other by-elections in which vehicles could be seen criss-crossing the length and breadth of constituencies to canvass for votes, the situation is different.
This is not to say that the four candidates who are vying for the seat which became vacant following the death of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Peter Wiafe Peprah, are not campaigning.
However, the posters of the NPP candidate, Mr Bryan Acheampong, seem to overshadow those of the three other candidates, namely Edmund Nkansah for the Progressive People's Party, Kenneth Nii Quaye of United Front Party and Vida Konadu Enim, Independent People's Party.
The constituency is traditionally a stronghold of the NPP and observers are of the view that it is going to be a walkover for the NPP candidate since the party has maintained the seat since 1996 and that the other candidates are in the competition to test their popularity.
Voting trends
In 1996, the NPP polled 14,089, while in 2000 it gained 11,226. In 2004, the party made mincemeat of other candidates when it obtained 16,019. In 2008 and 2012, it again polled 16,491 and 20,766, respectively, to cement its authority. This, according to the others, shows that it will take a miracle for anybody to break the hegemony of the NPP.
"Despite this trend, we are not the least complacent as we want to increase the margin to prove to people that come the November 7, 2016 general election, the seat will be ours again and again", said Mr David Prah, the Eastern Regional Director of Communication of the NPP.
He said the only legacy and tribute to the late MP was for the NPP to retain the seat.
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Background
The Abetifi Constituency seat became vacant following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Mr Peter Wiafe Peprah, who was in his second term.
Mr Peprah once contested on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress in 1996 and 2000, but failed in his bid to represent his people until he defected to the NPP and won in 2008 and 2012. The mountainous constituency, which can be found on the Kwahu Ridge, is expected to witness a peaceful election, since the security services have put in place measures to avert any unfortunate scenes.