Nana ‘Boys’ Win Big! – In NPP Primaries

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Saturday organized its parliamentary primaries in some one hundred orphan constituencies across the country with a mixed bag of surprises and interesting twists.

Most appointees of the president, Nana Akufo-Addo mostly rammed over their competitors in the race.
In the Kpone Katamanso constituency.

A Deputy National Security Coordinator at the Kotoka International Airport, Hopeson Adorye, was elected 2020 NPP parliamentary candidate for the area

Mr. Adorye polled 321 votes, beating four other contenders – Prince Dadzie, who polled 56 votes, William Ofosu Asante with 203 votes, Mark Fuachie-Sobre, 22 votes and David Quaye Annang, who polled 46 votes.

It is unclear if Hopesons’s hope to unseat the Kpone Katamanso’s Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, aka ‘Lion’ is anything to hope for.

At the Karaga Constituency, a Deputy Energy Minister, Dr. Mohammed Amin Anta, polled 385 votes to be elected NPP parliamentary candidate for the constituency.

He beat competition from three other contenders – Alhassan Abdulai, Affa Sulke and Dr. Suyati – to emerge winner in the parliamentary primaries.

Dr. Amin Anta will contest the 2020 elections on the ticket of the NPP and he will come up against current NDC Member of Parliament, Alhassan Sualihu Dandaawa.

The Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Professor Kwesi Yankah, also emerged victorious in the party’s Primary in Agona East in the Central Region.

He beat Prince Yaw Essah, a Chartered Accountant and Tourism Development Fund Administrator at the Ghana Tourism Authority and Dr Kennedy Abrokwa, an Economics Lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

Prof. Yankah polled 267 votes, Mr. Essah polled 127 votes and Dr. Abrokwa polled 175 votes. Prof. Yankah faces NDC’s Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr in election 2020.

All the three District Chief Executives (DCE) who contested in three out of four constituencies in the Western Region won their bid to contest in the 2020 general elections.

The three are Kwasi Bonzoh of Ellembele, Wilson Arthur of Wassa East and Patrick Hockson Amponteng of Amenfi Central.

The Ellembelle Constituency also saw a fearsome contest as the DCE for Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzoh who has already failed in the previous two attempts to win the seat in 2012 and 2016 was challenged by the Regional Treasurer, Anna Horma Akaisi Miezah and Isaac Mensah, a businessman.

Out of the 649 delegates who converged at the Nkroful Agricultural Senior High School to vote, Mr. Bonzoh won with 359 votes, with Anna Horma Akaisi Miezah getting 262 and 9 votes for Isaac Menlah.

In the Wassa East Constituency, the DCE, Wilson Arthur who is the owner of the Skyy Media Group and a former candidate for the seat went unopposed with a popular acclamation.

The current DCE for Amenfi Central, Patrick Hockson Amponteng who was the NPP candidate in 2016 won with 606 votes against his only challenger, the Deputy Regional Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Abass, who got 199 votes out of 615 total votes cast.

A former DCE and MP for the Amenfi West constituency, Abraham Kofi Asante who is also the current Administrator of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications, GIFEC, saw the largest opposition with four other aspirants for the Amenfi East seat.

At the end of the polls, Mr. Asante won with 370 votes while his closest competitor, Ignatius Kwasi Afrifa who is a freight forwarder got 184 votes.

In the Upper East Region, three District Chief Executives (DCEs) out of six have won their bid to contest the 2020 parliamentary election after a stiff parliamentary primary.

They are; Bongo DCE, Peter Ayinbisa, Builsa South DCE, Daniel Gariba and Bolgatanga East DCE, Emmanuel Abole.

Four (4) former parliamentary candidates for the 2016 elections namely, Boniface Gambila, Nabdam constituency, Abdulai Abanga, Binduri constituency, Thomas Dunaab, Talensi constituency and Rex Asanga were also retained as parliamentary candidates for the 2020 elections.

A total of 5,277 delegates took part in the election in the Upper East Region.