NDC execs fear losing Tepa seat From Sebastian R. Freiku, Tepa

The Ahafo Ano North Constituency executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are expressing fears of losing the parliamentary seat in the November polls.

Their fear emanates from a survey it conducted between February and March this year to ascertain who wins the parliamentary seat and its impact on the pattern of the presidential election, as far as the various political parties are concerned in the Ahafo Ano North constituency.

The research indicated that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, Mr. Sulemana Adamu Sanid, leads the race with 41%, while the NDC incumbent candidate, Akwasi Adusei, has 30%, with the only independent candidate, Dr. Bright Oppong, clocking 25%, and Daniel Kofi Kyei of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) occupying the bottom position with 6%.

The research also proved that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the NPP’s presidential candidate, would be leading with 52%, ahead of NDC's presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, who had 48%.

The researchers found out that the results were based on tribalism and ethnicity among both the NPP and NDC.

The NDC executives are aware that the NPP voted for Sulemana instead of Akuoko Adiyiah or Martina Appiah as parliamentary candidate, because Sulemana is a northerner and a Kusaase, to match the NDC candidate, who also happens to be a northerner and a Baasare.

It came out that Kusaases far outnumber Baasares in the constituency, for which they would vote massively for their brother or relative NPP in a “skirt and blouse” way.

The former Ashanti Region Minister, Peter Anarfi-Mensah, lost the NDC constituency primary to the incumbent MP, Akwasi Adusei, along tribal lines.

The second major reason professed for the NPP parliamentary candidate being a potential winner at the parliamentary elections is the removal of the former Ashanti Region Minister from office.

Anarfi-Mensah's removal from office has infuriated some indigenes who support him, to the extent that they are calling for a “skirt and blouse” vote, come November 7, 2016.

The breakaway of some party supporters to join other political parties in the constituency was explained by the move from the NDC to PPP by Mr. Daniel Kofi Kyei.

Messrs. SulleyMahawiah and Patrick Ofori, Branch Youth Organiser and former Propaganda Secretary respectively, are now campaign members for the independent candidate, who happens to be the brother-in-law of the NDC candidate and incumbent MP.

The NDC executives are also convinced that the margin of 423 votes by Adusei in the 2012 elections needed to be consolidated at a time a non-performance charge has been levelled by party executives.

Then candidate Adusei polled 18,841 (50.92%) votes for the NDC out of  the 37,669 total votes cast against then incumbent Richard Akuoko Adiyia's 18, 418 (48.89%) for the NPP.

They are, therefore, convinced that the former Ahafo Ano North District Co-ordinator of the defunct National Youth Employment Programme, an educationist and MP might not win the ultimate this year.