Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey pulls out of Anyaa-Sowutuom race

A total of 57 parliamentary aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) filed their nomination papers at the close of nominations on Thursday, February 20, to contest in 20 constituencies of the Greater Accra Region.

Surprisingly, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Anyaa- Sowutuom constituency, Mrs Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, also the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, will not seek re-election at the Party’s primaries on April 25.

Mr Daniel Parker Odartai France, the Regional Secretary of the NPP, who announced it in a statement signed and issued in Accra, said there are 13 females and 44 males in the race to contest on the ticket of the party in the Region.

The 57 contestants will face off at the Party’s primaries on April 25, which will be held simultaneously nationwide to win a slot to contest on the December 7 polls.

The incumbent members of Parliament going unopposed in their respective constituencies are Patrick Yaw Boamah of Okaikwei Central, Henry Quartey of Ayawaso Central and Alhaji Abu-Bakar Saddique of Madina.

Adentan, Anyaa-Sowutuom, and Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfrom constituencies have the highest number of contestants with five each followed by Ablekuma North and Tema Central with four contestants each respectively.

Constituencies with three contestants include Tema West, Tema East, Krowor, Ledzokuku, La Dadekotopon, Trobu, Okaikwei South and Weija Gbawe.

Ablekuma Central, Ablekuma West, Okaikwei North, Dome Kwabenya and Tema East had two contestants each.

For instance, in Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfrom Constituency, the incumbent MP Alhaji Habib Saad is slugging it out with four other aspirants, including Sylvester Matthew Tetteh, George Addo Osei Waree and Gifty Mensah.

At Anyaa-Sowutuom Constituency, Dr Emmanuel Lamptey, Emmanuel Tobin, Edna Sackey, Dr Adomako Kissi and Nana Ama Asafo Boakye will face off in a tough contest following the voluntary withdrawal from the race of the incumbent MP.

Yaw Buaben Asamoa, the NPP Director of Communications and incumbent MP for Adentan Constituency will not have the slot on a silver platter, as he comes against four other opponents, including Emmanuel Kwesi Mantey, Freda Agyemang Sarpong, Adam Abdul Razak and Rahman Zak in an expected grueling contest in Adentan.

It will be a nail biting contest at Dome Kwabenya as Adwoa Safo, the incumbent MP, who doubles as the Deputy Majority Leader and Minister of State for Public Procurement at the Presidency battle it out with the son of the Speaker of Parliament, Dr Mike Oquaye Junior, who is the Ghana’s Ambassador to India.

Mr Vincent Sowah Odotei, the incumbent MP for La Dadekotopon and a Deputy Minister of Communications, will come face-to-face with Joseph Gerald Nii Tetteh Nyanyofio and Comfort Adei Kotey in an anticipated tough contest.

Madam Tina Naa Ayele Mensah, the reigning MP for Weija-Gbawe and a Deputy Minister of Health, will have aches against two of her male opponents, as Frederick Quainoo and Patrick Ampong Baidoo have laced their boot to wrest the ticket for Weija-Gbawe at the Party’s primaries.

Delegates at the Ablekuma West Constituency are anticipating a crunch contest as Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the incumbent MP and the Minister of Communications will go toe-toe against Kan Dapaah Junior, the son of the Minister of National Security.

Okaikwei North will have a fascinating contest as Fuseini Issah, the incumbent MP face off with Ken Kuranchie, the Managing Editor of the Daily Satellite (newspaper) slug it out for the sole ticket to represent his constituents in Parliament, while Ahmed Arthur, the current MP for Okaikwei South battle it out with Darkoa Newman and Nana Fredua Agyemang Ofori Atta.

Madam Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and the incumbent MP for Krowor will not have it easy against two of his opponents-Emmanuel Odai and Eric Nii Ayikoi Okine.

Mr Carlos Ahenhora, the incumbent MP and a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, will face off with Kwesi Poku and Keku Armquasi-Armuzuah at Tema West while Daniel Nii Kwartei-Titus-Glover, a Deputy Minister of Transport, face off with Mr Benjamin Armah Ashitey, as the only hurdle to climb towards clinching the sole ticket for the primary contest