The race for seats in Ghana’s 9th Parliament will be as crucial, if not more crucial, than the 2024 presidential elections because of the impasses that have been seen in the current Parliament.
With 137 Members of Parliament (MPs) from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and 137 MPs from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), plus one independent MP, the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government has, on several occasions, had a daunting task getting the numbers needed for approval of its policies.
As of now, the meeting of the 8th Parliament has been adjourned indefinitely, and for the first time in the history of the 4th Republic, the budget for the ensuing year has not been passed.
Any of the political parties that wins the 2024 presidential election will probably be on its knees praying for a vast majority in Parliament so it will be relatively easier for the business of the next government to be approved by the House.
In the Greater Accra Region, 34 seats will be contested in the 2024 parliamentary election. Out of the 34 seats, the NDC currently holds 20 seats, while the NPP holds 14.
While some of these seats are regarded safe for the political parties holding them now, others are expected to be keenly contested between the candidates of the two leading parties.
Here are some of the keen races expected in the Greater Accra Region:
Mohammed Adamu Ramadan and Akosua Manu
The parliamentary race for the Adentan Constituency is expected to be one of the most keenly contested in the Greater Accra Region.
The constituency, which was created in 2004, has had 5 Members of Parliament, including the current one, Mohammed Adamu Ramadan, who is the Parliamentary Candidate of the NDC.
Adamu Ramadan would be setting a new record if he wins his re-election bid because no person has occupied the Adentan parliamentary seat for more than one term since its inception.
He will also be facing stiff competition from Akosua Manu (Kozie), the candidate of the NPP.
Kozie is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Youth Authority.
Theresa Lardi Awuni and Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei
The Okaikwei North seat is also expected to be keenly contested.
The constituency, since the inception of the 4th Republic, has had two terms of NDC MPs and six terms of NPP MPs. The NDC won the seat in 1992 but lost it for six consecutive terms until it re-captured it in 2020, with Theresa Lardi Awuni as its candidate.
Theresa Lardi Awuni remains the NDC’s candidate, as she seeks a re-election bid and is expected to face stiff competition from Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, the incumbent MP for Akropong.
Asiamah-Adjei is a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry. She was previously appointed by Akufo-Addo as the Deputy Minister of Information.
In this election, she has decided to move from her incumbent Akropong Constituency to Okaikwei North.
Dan Abdul-Latif and Jefferson Sackey
The race for the Ablekuma Central Constituency seat is also expected to be tough.
The NPP has had an equal share of representing the constituency since the inception of the 4th Republic.
The NDC won the seat in 1992, 2008, 2012, and 2020, while the NPP won the seat in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2016.
The incumbent MP, Dan Abdul-Latif of the NDC, is expected to face stiff competition from Jefferson Sackey, a Deputy Director of Communication at the Office of the President.
Benjamin Narteh Ayiku and Dr Bernard Okoe Boye
The race for the Ledzokuku seat is also expected to be tough.
The NPP Parliamentary Candidate, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, who lost the seat in 2020, will be battling with Benjamin Narteh Ayiku of the NDC, the incumbent MP.
Both the NDC and the NPP have won the Ledzokuku seat, with the NPP taking the seat on three occasions and the NDC on five occasions since 1992.
Narteh Ayiku beat Dr Okoe-Boye with 55,938 votes, representing 50.5% of the total votes cast in the 2020 election, with the latter managing 54,072 votes, representing 48.8% of the total valid votes cast in the 2020 election.
Lydia Alhassan vs John Dumelo
Another constituency in the Greater Accra Region that is expected to see tough competition in the parliamentary race is the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency.
The constituency has been dominated by the NPP since 1992. The only time its representatives in Parliament was not from the party was in 1992, when the National Convention Party won the election, and in 1996, when the NDC won.
The incumbent NPP MP, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, is expected to battle with actor-turned-politician, John Dumelo, in her quest to retain her seat.
The two are in their second parliamentary contest together.
In 2020, Lydia Alhassan beat John Dumelo when she got 39,851 of the total votes (51.4%) while Dumelo got 37,478 (48.3%).
