Western Region, the kingmaker

 
From Alfred Adams, Takoradi
As Ghanaians go to the polls today, the Western Region would be one of the regions the two dominating political parties, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), would battle to win.

The region, regarded as a swing one, holds the key in deciding which political party forms the next government.

It is as a result of this that the flagbearers of the two leading political parties paid a number of visits to the region to sell their messages to the electorate.

The region has 26 constituencies, with the ruling party controlling 18, whilst the opposition NPP controls a meager eight. In rounding up their campaigns, the two leading parties, considering the importance they attached to the region, held mammoth rallies to bring an end to their campaigns.

Whilst the flagbearer of the opposition NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo, chose the Sekondi Constituency to hold a rally to round up his campaign in the region, the flagbearer for the ruling NDC party, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, on the other hand, chose the Tarkwa Constituency.

The Chronicle can report that the decision by the two to hold regional rallies at both Sekondi and Tarkwa was strategic. For instance, the Sekondi Constituency, where the opposition NPP chose to hold it rally, was to 'water the ground' for the party and its parliamentary candidate, Mr. Andrew Egyapa Mercer, considering the growth of the ruling party in the constituency.

This reporter can report that the NPP, which controls the Sekondi seat, risks losing it for the first time to the ruling party. 

The continuous growth and support for the NDC in the Sekondi Constituency, coupled with the number of development projects the government had lined up for the area, is working magic for the party.

Talk of the asphalting of all roads and streets in Sekondi, including the revamping of the Sekondi rail line, has attracted support for the ruling party.

As a result, it would not be surprising if the NDC, for the first time, snatches the Sekondi parliamentary seat from the hands of the NPP, considering the turn of events that transpired in the last parliamentary election.

Tarkwa, where the ruling party chose to hold it regional rally, was also to prepare the ground for its parliamentary candidate, comedian Seth Kwame Dzokoto, to wrest the seat from the hands of the NPP entrant, Mireku Duker.

The popularity of the comedian is a daunting task Mireku Duker has to battle with in order to retain the seat for his party.

Tarkwa Constituency has since time immemorial been a stronghold of the NPP.

The Western Region is divided into three – southern, middle and northern belt.

Whilst the ruling party is very strong in the northern and the middle belt, the opposition NPP is strong in the southern belt.

The northern belt consists of Bia, Akontombra, Bodi, Sefwi Wiawso, and Sefwi Anwiaso-Bekwai, where the ruling party is dominating.

In all the four constituencies that make up the northern belt, the ruling party has full grasp of the votes.

But the NPP managed to win one of the seats in the northern belt –Sefwi Anwiaso-Bekwai.

In the middle belt, which consists of Enchi, Amenfi Central, Amenfi West, Wassa Akropong and Prestea Hunni Valley, the ruling party is also very dominant, winning all the votes, including the three Nzema constituencies.

In the three Nzema constituencies – Jomoro, Ellembelle and Evalue-Gwira – the ruling party has vowed to increase it votes for the President.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, has pledged to increase the presidential votes by 16,000.

Considering the level of development the constituents have received under the government, it would not be surprising if the NDC votes go beyond the number predicted by Armah Buah.

The NPP, on the other hand, has dominated the southern belt constituencies – Takoradi, Sekondi, Ahanta West, Kwesimintsim and Effia – for a long time. Until the last election (2012) where the NPP lost one of its strongholds ( Ahanta West Constituency) to the ruling party in the parliamentary election, all the aforementioned have remained faithful to the NPP.

Monitoring done by this reporter reveals that the ruling party would increase its votes in the strongholds of the NPP in the southern belt, particularly the Effia and Sekondi constituencies.

Effia and Sekondi are the two constituencies the NPP could lose, considering the strength of the parliamentary candidates fielded by the ruling party. Ebenezer Assifuah and Michael Ottoo of Sekondi and Effia respectively are giving a 'hell' of a time to their opponent from the NPP in the parliamentary race.

The NPP is also expected to snatch back the Ahanta West Constituency seat it lost to the ruling party in the last elections.