Party supporters at the residence of Nana Akufo-Addo
At long last, Ghanaians have gone to the polls. The changed date from November 7 to December 7 was shrouded in controversy and was resolved eventually through a legal intervention.
Be it as it may, as at yesterday, the situation has been a rollercoaster one, with party supporters not really getting what the true picture was, except for the overwhelming New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary victory across the country.
At the time of filing this report, the picture was clearer about the unassailable lead of the opposition leader, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Whilst the Electoral Commission continues to dawdle with the release of the election results, provisional results coming in from all over the country seem to point towards a win for the opposition New Patriotic Party.
However, both NPP and NDC supporters have claimed victory, a situation which got the EC Chairman, Mrs Charlotte Osei, and others to ask for calm and for all stakeholders to hold their fire as the processes are exhausted.
Keep Cool
Nana Addo, taking the initiative to speak to his supporters and Ghanaians from this residence a day after the elections, appealed to all to remain very calm and focused.
“The eyes of the world are on us and it is important that we behave as Ghanaians, as people who understand their own self wealth and their dignity,” he said, while addressing journalists at his Nima residence where party supporters had gathered.
On his part, Nana Addo said although it was going to be an anxious time, “I think all of us are duty-bound to support her and give her the time so that we have a pronouncement that is devoid of controversy and of difficulty.”
He said the NPP was quite confident of winning the election, because according to him, by the tallying they had won 49 extra seats in parliament and stressed the belief that they have also won the main contest, presidential election.
President Mahama yesterday addressed the country and the NDC supporters at his residence, also calling for calm.
He said the NDC would accept the results whether it favoured the party or not, thus, asking his supporters who had trooped to his residence in all white attire to remain calm and give the EC time to do its work.
Parliamentary Election Surprises
But despite a relatively close presidential race, there is no doubt the NPP is crushing the NDC in the parliamentary race.
All across the country, the ruling party is dropping seats, including that of its strongholds, with some of those losing being seasoned party bigwigs such as Alhaji Collins Dauda, Hannah Tetteh and Nii Amasah Namoale.
The NPP claim they have won 177 out of 275 seats from its provisional results. But whatever the final numbers will be, they are likely to hold the majority in the next parliament, having won seats of the ruling party in many of the regions – including Greater Accra, Central, Western, Brong Ahafo, Northern Upper East and even the Volta Region!
The performance of the vanquished when they held office and their interpersonal relationship with their constituents were highlighted in the discussions about why they fell.
Hannah Tetteh
Hannah Tetteh is one of the fallen top appointees in the Mahama administration. She was the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Awutut Senya West Constituency and a former Minister of Trade & Industry and later Minister for Foreign affairs.
Hannah Tetteh polled 25,664 votes as against 28,867 votes garnered by George Andah, contesting on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
She lost and many pointed at her arrogance and poor human relations as some of the factors which accounted for her plight.
Amadu Sorogho
The Member of Parliament for Madina-Abokobi, Amadu Sorogho, also lost his seat to the opposition NPP’s parliamentary candidate, Boniface Abubakar Saddique, who polled 57.97 percent of the total votes cast in that constituency, as Sorogho polled 39.88 percent.
Hon Sorogho who has been in parliament since 2005 will be replaced in the next parliament by Boniface Abubakar Saddique, who served as the Minister of Water Resources Works & Housing under the former President Kufuor’s administration, according to provisional results. He was the former chairperson on the National Fire Service Board.
Baba Jamal
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Akwatia Constituency in the Eastern Region, Baba Jamal, is among the casualties of the parliamentary elections.
Mr Jamal who was the Deputy Ministry of Employment & Labour Relations lost his parliamentary seat to Ama Sey in the Akwatia Constituency, who polled 21,433 votes to beat Mr Jamal’s 15,905 votes, according to provisional results.
It took Jamal over a decade before winning the Akwatia seat in 2012, having contested for four times in a row.
Abeiku Crentsil
The parliamentary candidate for the Ekumfi Constituency on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Central Region, Ato Cudjoe, has won the seat, according to provisional election results from the EC.
Ato Cudjoe polled 12,014 valid votes to beat the incumbent Abeiku Crentsil of the NDC who polled 11,482.
Ernest Kofi Yakah
The NPP again took the parliamentary seat for the New Edubiase Constituency in the Ashanti Region, where its candidate George Oduro won the seat for the party.
He beat the incumbent parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ernest Kofi Yakah.
Sena Okity Duah
The Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Sena Okity Duah, has also vacated her seat for winner Dr Okoe Boye in the parliamentary race.
Dr Okoe Boye polled 45,259 votes, as against 43,092 votes recorded by Mrs Okity-Duah.
She is the incumbent Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture in the government of President Mahama. Before that (January 2013 – 1st June 2014), she was the Deputy Minister for Gender, Children & Social Protection in the same government. Benita Sena Okity-Duah was the Miss Ghana in 1997.
Paul Evans Aidoo
Dr Kweku Owusu Afriyie in the erstwhile Kufuor administration of the NPP won former Western Regional Minister, Paul Evans Aidoo, in the Sefwi-Wiawso constituency. The former educationist was the Western Regional Minister.
Nii Amasa Namoale
The people of La Dadekotopon Constituency after several hours of vote counting at the collation centers have chosen Vincent Sowah Odotei of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the new Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency.
Mr Odotei polled 40,126 votes out of a total of 79,678 votes to unseat the incumbent MP Nii Amasah Namoale, who was the Deputy Minister for Agriculture of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), had 38,504 votes.
Hannah Bissiw
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano South, Hannah Louisa Bissiw, will not be part of the 275 members that will be ushered into the 7th Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
Bissiw, also a Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture in-charge of Livestock, after winning the parliamentary primary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) unopposed, failed to put up a good performance to retain the seat she won in 2012.
In Wednesday’s poll, Bissiw amassed 17,215 of the total valid votes cast.
Her main opponent from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sekyere Yeboah, polled 21,018 to emerge victorious in the hotly contested poll.
The Tano South Constituency in the Brong Ahafo Region has been a stronghold of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition since 2000.
So as the country awaits the declaration of certified results by the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, supporters of the NPP have started gathering in front of the residence of Nana Addo to celebrate his win.
The police are also at his permission to provide security for Nana Addo, whom the provisional results have declared winner of the 2016 elections.
BY Jamila Akweley Okertchiri