NDC misses 1 Ashanti seat...but NPP files for all

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the rejuvenated Convention Peoples Party (CPP) and the other political parties are leaving no stone unturned to annex one parliamentary seat or the other in the Ashanti region.

Apart from the Asokwa Constituency, the NDC has fielded candidates in all the constituencies in the region, while the NPP, which considers the area as its stronghold has fielded candidates throughout the 39 constituencies.

At Fomena Constituency in the Adansi North District, the NPP has the incumbent Nana Abu Bonsra as its parliamentary candidate, whiles the NDC has fielded Mr. Samuel Penkra to battle it out with the NPP, according to Mad. Effe Wilson, the Adansi-North District Electoral Officer. She disclosed the rest of the candidates in the electoral race as Mr. James K. Seotah of the CPP and Mr. Augustine Tieku of the Democratic People's Party (DPP).

Incumbent K. T. Hammond of the NPP, will pitch his strength against Messrs Francis Owusu Boamah of CPP, Amoako Anaafi of Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) and Alhaji Abdul Lateef Majdoub of NDC, for the Adansi-Asokwa seat

For the Bekwai seat, the incumbent Ignatius Kofi Poku-Adusei of the NPP will face a stiff competition from independent candidate Joseph Osei-Wusu of DVLA fame, Mr. Noah Asante Manu of NDC, Mr. Ben Atta Hayford of CPP and PNC's Erasmus Boateng.

At Bosome-Freho, incumbent NPP MP, Ofori Kuragu, now an independent candidate will be challenged by the new NPP candidate Kwadwo Kyei Frimpong, with NDC's Kennedy Anthony Asiedu and Sebastian Sumoma of the DFP also in the race.

The late Finance Minister's, Mr. Kwame Anymadu-Antwi of the NPP, will lock horns with NDC's Thomas Osei Bonsu, CPP's Kwabena Anaafi, Isaac Atobrah of PNC, RPD's Francis Kyei and the independent candidate, Mr. Alex Osei Tutu for the Asante Akim North seat.

The Bosomtwe seat will be contested by the 47-year old incumbent MP, Mr. Simon Osei Mensah of NPP, 50-year-old Dr. Joseph Oteng of NDC, 35-year-old Suleiman Mohammed of PNC and 28-year-old Gilbert Adler Alhassan for the CPP.

Mr. Kwame Owusu, an NPP activist and contesting as an independent candidate, will pitch his strength and popularity against incumbent Dr. Richard Winfred Anane of NPP, Mr. Kwaku Bonsu of RPD, Mr. Joseph Bernard Boadu of NDC and Kwame Appiah Boateng of CPP for the Nhyiaeso constituency seat.

Those vying for the Kwadaso constituency seat are Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto of NPP, Mr. David Akwasi Adogo of PNC, Mr. Joseph Boateng of RPD, Mr. Joseph Yammin of NDC and Daniel Essien, representing the CPP.

Mad. Cecilia Abena Dapaah of the NPP, Mr. Stephen Kwaku Saahene, independent candidate, Miss Eunice Owusu Ansah of RPD, Nana Osei Akoto-Kufuor of NDC and the CPP parliamentary candidate, Mr. Richard Osei Tutu are contesting the Bantama constituency seat.

The Subin seat is for grabs by Messrs Isaac Osei of NPP, Anthony Agyemang Nyame of NDC, Kwadwo Dwomoh Marfo of CPP and Heusini Aminu on the PNC ticket.

The Asokwa seat, which is currently occupied by Mr. Maxwell Kofi Jumah, will have no NDC candidate to contest it. This leaves the incumbent MP facing the Convention People's Party's Mr. Kwaku Baah-Bonsu as well as an independent candidate.

Although the NDC had long elected Mr. Joshua Duku Donkor as its parliamentary candidate, he could not simply meet the EC requirement and standard of procedures for the filing of nomination papers. His nomination was rejected for his failure to fully complete the forms given him by the EC. Mr. Duku could not find a Commissioner of Oath to endorse his candidature.

At about 10:00 on Monday morning, the NDC parliamentary nominee, who is the proprietor of Lion of Judah International School at Atonsu S-Line in the Constituency, could simply not believe that his name would be excluded the EC's ballot paper. He refused to grant The Chronicle an interview after this reporter had caught up with him in the company of two NDC activists, at the Ashanti Regional Office of the EC.

According to him, he was not in the mood to talk to the press over the issue, hence his decision to keep a 'golden silence' on the matter, as he shook his head in disappointment. At the time of filing this report, some members of the NDC in the region had besieged the EC regional office to protest the exclusion of their candidate for Asokwa.