Ernest Yaw Anim has been declared winner to become the parliamentary candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming by-election in Kumawu in the Ashanti Region.
He won with 13 votes ahead of his closest contender, Ama Serwaah N.T who polled 181 votes, followed by Dr Aboagye Da-Costa who obtained 27 votes with Kwame Appiah Kubi having 10 votes and Osei Bempa Hwereh managing only 5 ballots.
A total of 419 delegates, drawn from 25 electoral areas cast their ballots at the Philip Basoah Community Center at Besoro.
The election started at 11:40 am and ended at 2pm. The party’s council of elders and constituency executives, first cast their ballots under tight security to prevent any eventuality. The election was supervised by the Electoral Commission.
Three aspirants, Philip Banor, Lawyer Edward Kofi Osei, and Opanin Yaw Baah withdrew from the contest.
The party opened nomination from Monday 11th – 14th April 2023 for interested party members to pick nomination forms followed by filing of nomination forms on 15th April, 2023.
After vetting all the eight Parliamentary candidate hopefuls on Sunday April 16, 2023, two of the aspirants nomination clearance was put on hold following lack of supporting documentary evidence to back their claims when they met the committee.
Later, one of the aspirants step down from contesting the elections leaving 5 aspirants to challenge to become the parliamentary candidate of the party in the area.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, on 3rd April 2023 declared the seat of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumawu, Philip Basoa, vacant.
The decision followed the death of Mr Basoah, 53, on March 27, 2023.
Kumawu parliamentary seat is among 43 safe seats controlled by the New Patriotic Party, in the Ashanti.
By Vincent Kubi