By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
Ahead of May 2023 by-election at Kumawu in the Ashanti region, the ruling New Patriotic Party, NPP has held its primaries which chose 38 year old Chartered Accountant, Ernest Yaw Anim from Bodomase as its Candidate.
Mr. Anim polled 195 out of the 419 votes cast to emerge as the winner but was given a good run for his money by the only Female contender, Madam Ama Serwaa Nequqye-Tetteh who lost the internal election with 181 of the valid votes, 18 less what the winner garnered.
A total of 419 delegates from the 25 Electoral Areas within the Constituency took part in the primaries.
Earlier, out of the initial eight aspirants who formally filed their Nomination documents, three, including a former MP for the Constituency, Mr. Yaw Baah, rescinded their ambitions for various reasons leaving the five who eventually battle it out at Besore, venue of the polls.
At the end of the contest, a native of Bodomase, Mr. Ernest Yaw Anim, garnered 195 of the valid votes out of the 419 total votes to beat his four contenders.
His closest challenger was the only Female hopeful, Madam Ama Serwaa Nerquaye-Tetteh, who lost with 181 votes, 18 less than what Mr Anim polled.
A Director at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Aboagye DaCosta, managed to get only 27 of the votes and placed 3rd while the remaining two aspirants, Kwame Appiah Kubi got 10, with Osei Bempah going home with just five votes, and a rejected ballot.
The primaries was heavily patronized by party functionaries from the Polling Station, Constituency, Regional to national levels including the General Secretary, Mr. Justin Kodua Frimpong, National Organizer, Nana Boakye Yiadom and the Ashanti Regional Chairman, Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako.
It was supervised by a team from the Electoral Commission led by its Director for Electoral Services, Dr. Serebuor Quarcoo, under heavy police protection.
Winner of the primaries, Ernest Anim, while showing appreciation to all who played a role in the success of the polls and his win, pledged to unite members of the NPP to guarantee the party a retention of the Kumawu Parliamentary seat after the upcoming By-election.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, described the choice of Mr. Anim as the party’s Candidate as strategic since Mr. Anim comes from the same Community as the Independent MP hopeful.
Mr. Antwi Boasiako, affectionately referred to as Chairman Wontumi, described Mr. Kodua, the Independent Aspirant, as an outcast of the NPP, because he is said to have broken ranks with the party in the Constituency.
He alleged that, based on the background colour of Mr. Kodua’s campaign posters, he is being supported by Ghana’s biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress, NDC to take the seat away from the NPP but assured members of the NPP that, with results of the primaries now clear, the party will retain the Kumawu seat after the By-Election.
The General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Kodua Frimpong, however, singled out the only female Aspirant for exhibiting faith in the party even in defeat.
The General Secretary also called for a united front within the NPP in the Constituency as it kick-starts its main campaign to win the upcoming polls.
Meanwhile, the NDC already has its Candidates who was chosen unopposed after close of the party’s Nomination period in February, 2023.
Mr. Kwame Kodua, the Independent Candidate in the 2020 Parliamentary elections and nearly caused an upset, has also begun his campaign to contest in the By-Election.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the Kumawu By-election for the 23rd of next month for the constituents to select a replacement for their serving Member of Parliament, Mr. Philip Basoah, who died in March 2023 after a brief illness.
