Mampong MP loses seat

The on-going NPP primaries in the Ashanti Region continues to witness more shocking results as sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) watch helplessly, as their seats are being taken away from them.

The hopes of the incumbent Member of Parliament for the Mampong constituency, Hon. Peter Sarkodie, to represent the constituency in the December 2008 elections on the ticket of the ruling party was dashed, after he suffered a defeat at the hands of a former highway engineer, Mr. Francis Addai-Nimoh.

The incumbent MP polled 46 votes against that of Francis Addai-Nimoh's 47 with the Deputy High Commissioner to India, His Excellency Ampratwum Sarpong, securing only nine of the total votes cast.

Mr. Sarkodie thus joins three other incumbent MPs in the region who have lost their seats to newcomers, these include the MP for Kwadaso, Mrs. Hilda Addo, MP for Bosome Freho, Nana Yaw Ofori Kuragu and the MP for Ahafo Ano North, Kwame Owusu Frimpong.

In the constituency's congress, which was highly characterized by tension amid heavy security, supporters of each aspirant came to the congress ground at Mprim, a farming community near the district capital, Mampong, holding placards which bore portraits of their favourite candidates.

The highly charged atmosphere was further fuelled by rumours of attempts by some campaign executives of the incumbent MP to manipulate the list of voting delegates.

An attempt was made by one of constituency executives to bring a spiritualist into the voting hall.

This was, however, prevented by the police details present, who called the representatives of all the aspirants including constituency executives to order, after which calm was restored.

However, it was the outcome of the result that held supporters of the party spell bound as the supposed underdog, Mr. Francis Addai-Nimoh emerged victorious with a single vote margin.

The announcement sent the entire voting hall dead since it shocked many present.

In their post election speeches, both defeated candidates promised to work in collaboration with the winner to consolidate the position of the ruling party in the constituency.

The winner, Francis Addai-Nimoh, also pledged to champion the course of the people and work hard to surmount the myriad of problems that have characterized the constituency.

In a related development, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah has polled 37 votes to retain the Kwabre West seat. His opponent, Mrs. Millicent Boateng who also failed in 2004 in her bid to annex the seat, trailed with 24 votes.