The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Mfantseman constituency, Mr Ekow Kwansah Hayford would on Saturday battle it out with new entrant Mr James Korsah-Brown to determine who represents the NPP in the constituency.
Delegates would vote to determine whether the “good works” of Kwansah Hayford was good enough to earn him a second chance to represent the party in the constituency or to give way to Korsah-Browns “new ideas”.
While many have stated that the constituency required maturity and experience to ensure the NPP keeps the seat, others hold it that it was time for the old to give way to a new and youthful ideas.
So delegates would on Saturday determine if it would be “four more for Kwansah Hayford” or give Korsah-Brown a chance.
Constituency history
The NPP Mfantseman Constituency has an interesting history of parliamentary candidates.
From 1992-2000 the candidature was held by Mr Otoo, Mr Isaac Ekow Taylor and Ms Edna Lovis Arthur respectively.
The three candidates, all from Saltpond, the capital of the Mfantseman Constituency, were not able to battle the seat which was seen as a stronghold of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In 2004 however, Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng (Asabee) from Kormantse became the “darling boy” parliamentary candidate for the then Mfantseman West constituency and went ahead to be the NPP’s first to have won the seat at his first attempt.
Mr Asamoah Boateng was elected again as parliamentary candidate in 2008 and 2012 but again failed in his bid to return to parliament.
In 2016, Ekow Kwansah Hayford, the incumbent was elected after a fierce battle with now MCE for Mfantseman, Mr Kenneth Essuman and was lucky to recapture the seat for the NPP and now seeks re-election for a second term.
A native of Mankessim, Kwansah Hayford has worked hard for the party and closely with the Municipal Chief Executive Kenneth, Kelly Essuman, who has on several platforms together with some delegates expressed support for the MP.
Picking his forms, Mr Kwansah Hayford said he had together with the Mfantseman municipal assembly worked on the construction of the Mankessim-Tetsi road, begun work on the Mankessim Market project and assisted several other projects in the communities.
He said he had supported several educational institutions and health facilities in the constituency.
He said it was upon the basis of his works that he comes to appeal for a second opportunity to serve his constituents and urged the delegates to be guided by the works he had done in the constituency and vote for him as parliamentary candidate to help recapture the seat for the NPP.
New ideas
But his only contender, young exuberant Mr James Korsah- Brown for his part believes the constituency deserved more than what the incumbent MP had offered them.
At his campaign launch, Mr Korsah-Brown, a banker from Saltpond said he was committed to helping explore the many available resources in the constituency to help create jobs for the young people in the constituency using his contacts.
“Mfantseman is blessed with a lot of resources and the level of unemployment among the youth here is unacceptable,” he stated,
He said there was the need for more proactive leadership to help change the fortunes of the constituency.
Korsah-Brown’s huge billboards in the constituency makes a statement in the constituency but supporters of Kwansah Hayford say that was his only presence in the constituency.
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