NPP primaries: Baffuor-Awuah, 3 others go unopposed in Bono Region

Twenty-six out of the 32 people who filed their nominations for the upcoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries in the Bono Region have been certified by the National Parliamentary Vetting Committee.

Out of the number, four sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) will go unopposed.

Six other aspirants were disqualified.

The primaries are scheduled to take place on April 25, 2020, in 11 constituencies in the region.

A release signed by the Chairperson of the committee, Ms Rita Asobayere named the four unopposed aspirants as the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, the incumbent MP for Sunyani West, Mr Ignatius Baffuor-Awuah, and the Deputy Bono Regional Minister and incumbent MP for Jaman North, Mr Siaka Stevens.

The others are incumbent MP for Dormaa West, Mr Halidu Maiga, and Deputy Minister for Railway Development and incumbent MP for Berekum West, Mr Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng.

Disqualification

The six aspirants who were disqualified by the vetting committee are Ransford Amponsah, Dormaa West; Mr Eric Yeboah, Daniels Fordjuor Agyemang and Tachi Richmond, Jaman North; Theophilus Asomah Kyeremeh and Bernard Oduro Takyi, Sunyani East.

Contest
Apart from the four constituencies, there will be stiff competition in the remaining seven constituencies where the sitting MPs will come face to face with other aspirants ranging from one to four.

In the Wenchi Constituency, for example, incumbent MP and Minister for Planning, Professor George Gyan-Baffour, will face Albert Ameyaw, Yaw Opoku Atuahene, Kojo Frempong and the only female contestant in the region, Dr Tina Abrefa-Gyan.

The Berekum East Constituency will also witness a contest between incumbent MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Dr Kwabena Twum-Nuamah, and three others, Nelson Kyeremeh, Paul Ofori-Amanfo and Solomon Kyere Boadu.

The Majority Chief Whip in Parliament and MP for Sunyani East, Mr Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, is being contested by his colleague legal practitioner and Chairman of the Bono Regional Chapter of the Ghana Bar Association, Mr Alfred Tuah Yeboah, while the Minister of Health and sitting MP for Dormaa Central, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, will come face to face with the Chairman of the Ghana Health Service Council, Dr Yaw Yeboah.

In the Dormaa East Constituency, the contest will be among the sitting MP and Deputy Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr William Kwasi Sabi; Paul Apraku Twum-Barimah and Kwabena Sarfo Kantanka while the Deputy Minister for Aviation and MP for Jaman South, Mr Yaw Afful, will have to go past Prince Yeboah Marfo and Alex Kwasi Awuah in order to represent the party as its candidate in the 2020 general election.

The contest in the Tain Constituency will also witness the sitting MP, Mr Gabriel Osei, pitting his strength against Alex Ofori and Ababio Alexander to see whether he will get the nod from the delegates to contest the seat for the second time.