As the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is in the process of vetting its parliamentary aspirants for the 2016 elections, Ghanaians should expect a tough battle by the aspirants, particularly in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The NPP currently holds 13 out of 29 seats in the region and party officials have not hidden their intention to win not less than 20 seats during the 2016 polls.
It is as a result of this that the primaries of the 13 seats and those in the orphan constituencies are being hotly contested to select the right candidates to mount the hardest of challenges against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2016.
Picking of forms Figures made available at the Brong Ahafo Regional Office of the NPP indicate that as many as 94 people have filed their nominations to contest the primaries.
In all the 29 constituencies in the region, it is only in Sunyani West and Jaman North where the incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) will be having a field day since nobody has picked forms to contest them.
The incumbent MPs for these constituencies are Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah (Sunyani West) and Mr Siaka Stevens (Jaman North).
Techiman North recorded the highest number of seven people, including the former MP for the area, Professor Ameyaw Akumfi.
In the Berekum West Constituency former MP and Deputy Interior Minister, Captain Nkrabea Effa-Dartey is among the three people who have collected nomination forms to battle it out with the incumbent MP, Mr Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng.
In the Wenchi Constituency, former Deputy Minister of FINANCE, Professor George Yaw Gyang-Baffour, will not have it easy as three more people, including a former MP for the area, Mr Musa Moctar Bamba, have all picked forms toslug it out.
The only female NPP MP in the region, Ms Freda Prempeh, will have the chance to contest for the Tano North seat for the second time only if she is able to beat the challenge posed by a male contestant, Mr Evans Kusi Duah, who has also picked nomination forms.
The picking of forms was done amid drumming and dancing in some of the constituencies with the supporters and family members chanting the accolades for the would-be candidates.
However, in Berekum West, supporters of one of the aspirants demonstrated against what they termed as an attempt to prevent their man from contesting the primaries.
Sunyani East contest The Sunyani East Constituency, which is a traditional seat for the NPP, is expected to be hotly contested by the incumbent, Mr Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh and a former Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria and Ambassador to Libya, Ambassador George Kumi.
This seat is likely to be keenly contested since it is has always been automatic for the NPP candidates to win the ultimate contest.
The two contestants are therefore leaving no stone unturned as they juggle it out daily on air to win the support of the delegates who will vote in the primaries on June 13, 2015.
They have also adopted the strategy of attending funerals with their supporters to introduce themselves to the people even before the primaries.
Family Contest Both Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh and Ambassador Kumi told the Daily Graphic that they would win the contest.
“So far so good. If cassava is not good it is confirmed after boiling,” was the philosophical answer that was given by Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh when this reporter caught up with him in his office in Sunyani.
He said he had done so many projects with the resources that had been made available to him during his first and second terms in office and added that, “my people know my worth and how I have been in close contact with them”.
“The constituency needs somebody who can unite the party. My relationship with all the party executives and the rank and file is good”, he said and called on his opponent to not only preach unity but also show it by his deeds.
He promised to run a decent campaign devoid of character assassination and appealed to his opponent to advise his supporters to do same since the contest was between two family members.
“This is a family contest but in the Sunyani East, it is the NDC members who are praising my opponent on air,” he said and urged Ambassador Kumi to come clean about his status, saying “if you are a member of NPP let us know, if you are an NDC member, let us know”.
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