The battle for nine NPP constituencies; Bono, Ahafo and Bono-East heated

Twenty-one candidates will be contesting for tickets to stand as parliamentary candidates for nine constituencies in the Bono, Bono-East and Ahafo regions in tomorrow’s parliamentary primaries by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for its orphan constituencies across the country.

In all, the NPP has nine orphan constituencies in that enclave that used to be known as the Brong Ahafo Region out of which two more regions were created. In total, there were 29 constituencies of which the NPP has 20 with the remaining nine belonging to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC)

The distributions are: Bono East — six,  Ahafo — two and  one in the Bono Region. In nominal terms, they are Kintampo North, Kintampo South, Sene West, Sene East, Pru West, and Pru East in the Bono East Region, Asutifi South, Asunafo South in the Ahafo Region and Banda in the Bono Region.

Unopposed

There will be no contest in the Sene East, Pru East and Kintampo North constituencies in the Bono East Region since the candidates are standing unopposed.

They are  Mr Alexander Gyan, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Kintampo South for the Kintampo South Constituency, Mr Joseph Kumah Mackay, the Director for Monitoring and Evaluation for the National Entrepreneurship and Innovative Plan (NEIP) for the Sene West and Mr Pambiin Julula, DCE for Pru West for the Pru West Constituency.

Contestants

In the Sene East Constituency, two businessmen, Mr Luchoun Bitatun Nicholas and Mr Emmanuel Nyirapa are contesting the slot while at Pru East, the battle will be fought among the DCE, Mr Joseph Kwaku Abonkra, Mr David Yaw Mensah and a retired veterinary doctor, Dr King David Yaw Kwaw Amoah.

Contesting in the Kintampo North Constituency are a private legal practitioner and former NPP General Secretary in Germany,  Dr Kwaku Anani-Gyinde, the Kintampo North Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Michael Sarkodie Baffoe and an educationist, Mr Nkagnah Charles Mateerl.

Bono Region

The Banda Constituency in the Bono Region is expected to witness a fierce contest among four stalwarts of the party in the area.

They are former Member of Parliament for Wenchi West, Mr Joe Dankwa, former MCE for Wenchi and DCE for Tain, Madam Farizana Bintu Banda, a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Dr Felix Opoku and Mr Paul Baffoe.

Ahafo Region

In the Asunafo South Constituency, four candidates are contesting to become the party’s parliamentary candidate for the 2020 general election.

They are Mr Marlick Adjei, Director of Public Affairs of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport (BOST), a teacher, Mr Emmanuel Tetteh,  Engineer Kwabena Amoah Mensah, an Assemblyman at Kukuom, and Mr Yaw Boakye, a former DCE for Asunafo South and MP for the constituency.

Any of the four candidates who emerges victorious would have a tough time wresting the seat from the NDC MP for the area, Mr Eric Opoku.

In Asutifi South, Mr Yaw Owusu Brempong and Alhaji Ali Mohammed Suraj will be seeking to get the nod to contest the seat with NDC stalwart and current MP for the area, Alhaji Colins Dauda.

We are ready

The Bono East Regional Secretary of the party, Mr David Boakye, told the Daily Graphic that the party was ready for the primaries.

According to him, the regional secretariat had received all the necessary materials for the exercise.

Mr Boakye said for the past three months, all the candidates and their supporters had conducted themselves well and expressed the hope that the exercise would be conducted peacefully.

He said he had written letters to inform all the six districts and municipal commanders of the Ghana Police Service to provide security.