From left: Elizabeth Afoley Quaye — NPP, Mr Hugo Kofi Huppenbauer — PPP and Agnes Naa Momo Lartey NDC

Two ‘iron’ ladies clash at Krowor

Political Desk Politics Sep - 12 - 2016 , 10:54 3 minutes read

The Krowor constituency in the Greater Accra Region will on December 7 witness two new female candidates from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) battle it out for the parliamentary seat for the first time.

The seat, currently occupied by the ruling NDC, has been vacant for close to a year following the inability of Dr Nii Oakley Quaye Kumah, the incumbent Member of Parliament, to perform his duties due to ill health.

Though the NDC earlier settled on a male candidate, he has also been bedridden and the void was on Saturday, July 15 filled this time with a woman, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, who will now square it up with the NPP candidate, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye.

In the 1992 parliamentary election which was boycotted by the NPP, Mr Aplerh-Tawiah won the seat for the NDC. Following his incapacitation, Mr Joshua Alabi took over from Mr Plerh-Tawiah who won the seat for the NDC in 1996 and subsequently became the Greater Accra Regional Minister. Mr Aplerh-Tawiah, however, died after a protracted illness.

In separate interviews with the sections of the media, both Mrs Lartey and Mrs Quaye have expressed confidence of winning the seat.

Mrs Lartey

Mrs Lartey expressed the belief that she would retain the seat for the NDC.

“I always tell people that I personally don’t like fighting women. I like fighting men not because I feel I am stronger, but because I feel the women are few and so I will prefer to fight a man from the other side.

But, it so happened that it is a woman and since we are two women, it is a competition of ideas as to which woman can do it better and that is what I am looking forward to. I look forward to having a healthy competition with her”.

Mrs Quaye

For her part, Mrs Quaye expressed confidence of snatching the seat from the NDC and said the candidate her opponents are fielding presents her with no competition.

She said the NDC candidate is not a force to reckon with and that she has no reason to believe the NDC will retain the seat.

“I am even wondering if I feel anything at all about it. It doesn’t change anything and how I look at things. I don’t see her as a formidable contender. I don’t think she is any force to reckon with. What I think is that they just needed someone to excite the people and make them feel there is a competition and that is what they have done”.

Spirits are down

According to her, the confidence people have in the NDC is waning ahead of the December polls and that “their spirit is down. They felt disappointed in the candidate they nominated earlier and they feel they should nominate a woman to compete me. I don’t think there is any competition at all. She can’t catch up with me. She is not a contender, she went to the primary earlier and lost and anyone who goes to the primary and loses cannot match me.”

Only male candidate

Meanwhile, the only male candidate from the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Mr Hugo Kofi Huppenbauer, also contends that “this time the seat will be captured by the PPP.”

He is therefore leaving no stone unturned to see his dream come true.

The Krowor Constituency in the Greater Accra Region has been one of the seats that has been beset with uncertainties and misfortunes as far as the health status of their member of parliament is concerned since the inception of the fourth republican parliament. The electorate will therefore follow the constituency with keen interest as to who takes over the seat and the events that would unfold.