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One of the key constituencies to watch out for in the forthcoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries on April 25, 2020 is the Agona West Constituency where the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Mrs Cynthia Morrison, will face stiff opposition from three male contenders, including a former MP for the area.

Mrs Morrison, the first female MP for the area, will come up against a former Constituency Chairman, Mr Evans Addison Coleman, popularly referred to as “Onomah”; a former MP for the area, Mr Samuel Kweku Obodai, who held on to the seat for 12 years from 2000 to 2012; and a new entrant, Mr Yawson Otoo, an engineer.

Aspirants

So far, all the aspirants have picked their nomination forms and have declared their strongest intention to complete the process, hit the ground and criss-cross the entire constituency to win the hearts of the delegates.

The strategy of the aspirants has been touching base with the delegates at their various polling stations both day and night to sell their campaign message to them so as to win their votes during the primary.

The aspirants, together with their teeming supporters, are highly optimistic of securing a resounding victory since according to them, the party delegates would weigh them and determine who among them was the best to represent the NPP in the constituency.

Per the permutations on the ground, none of the aspiring candidates can be written off since each of them has an equal chance of being elected by the delegates of the party in the constituency.

Swing constituency

The constituency can be described as a swing constituency since both the ruling NPP and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have won the seat since 1992.

Whereas the NPP has occupied the seat for almost 16 years, the NDC has also won it for 12 years.

Per previous election results, the NPP has supremacy over the NDC both in the presidential and the parliamentary elections.

Even though the NDC managed to win the parliamentary seat in 2012, it was as a result of “skirt and blouse” vote since former President John Mahama lost the presidential election to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The NPP’s loss of the parliamentary seat to Lawyer Charles Obeng-Inkoom of the NDC was largely attributed to disunity among party leadership and disaffection among the electorate due to what they described as the failure of the sitting MP then, Mr Obodai, to meet the needs and aspirations of the constituents.

Although there was growing discontent among party supporters in relation to the MP’s performance, the party failed to do something about it, which pushed the electorate to vote against the party.

Repeat of 2012?

Political watchers and some party supporters fear that the current disunity among the party leadership and apathy among party supporters which started as far back as 2017, if not addressed, would lead to a repeat of what happened to the party in 2012 where the NPP lost the seat to the NDC.

It is an open secret within the corridors of the party within the constituency that there is sharp disunity, which is likely to affect the fortunes of the party in the next election.

According to some supporters, the division within the party was negatively affecting the general development of the municipality, and whoever would be elected the candidate would have a herculean task bringing all the camps on board.

They have, therefore, called on the national executives of the party to come to the ground to find a lasting solution to the issue since the matter had gone beyond the regional executives of the party.

Mrs Morrison, also the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, who is widely acclaimed as “Obaa Yaa Asantewaa”, says she is unperturbed by the entry of three other contestants in the upcoming race.

She is highly optimistic that the delegates of the party will renew her mandate to serve them for four additional years.

“Since my assumption of office on January 7, 2017, I have discharged my duties diligently and performed creditably to better the lives of the constituents to warrant a second term to serve the people of Agona West.

Mr Coleman, who describes himself as the choice of the grass roots, said he would offer faithful, truthful and dedicated leadership when elected.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, he said there was growing discontent and apathy among party members due to disunity among the party hierarchy in the constituency.

“I can confidently tell you that the fortunes of the party have dwindled and that I am the only credible candidate among the aspirants who has the capacity to win back the trust of the disgruntled party supporters, as well as floating voters,” he said.

Mr Otoo, an engineer by profession and new entrant, believes that he will appeal to the teeming youth of the party who will give him a resounding victory to enable him to implement interventions that will enhance the lives of the people.

According to him, he would promote the establishment of private sector businesses if elected MP for the area, which would provide 5,000 jobs for the unemployed youth so as to reduce the rate of unemployment in the municipality.

Although Mr Obodai was rejected in 2012, his supporters believe his comeback is a good omen for the party in the wake of disunity among the party faithful.

His supporters see his return as a major step towards uniting the rank and file of the party for victory in 2020 and are also of the opinion that if he is eventually elected, he has the clout to bring all the factions together for the growth of the party.