53 to contest NDC primary in Central: Dr Ato Forson, 4 others go unopposed

• Posted on April 17, 2023April 17, 2023
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Fifty-three National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary aspirants have successfully gone through vetting to contest the party’s primary in the Central Region.

Five parliamentary candidates, including the Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, are going unopposed in the region which has 23 constituencies.

The rest are Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui for Awutu Senya West, Shaibu Migyimah for Assin Central, Emelia Ankomah for Upper Denkyira East and Daniel Ohene Darkoh for Upper Denkyira West.

There is an appeal for an issue with one of the aspirants for Agona East which the vetting committee had indicated that if unresolved, it could leave the current Member of Parliament (MP) Queenstar Pokua Sawyerr, to also go unopposed.

Vetting for three constituencies, Efutu, Assin North and Gomoa Central, has been put on hold.

Other Contestants

Three aspirants from Agona West, Agona East and Upper Denkyira West were disqualified for various reasons by the five-member panel that vetted the aspirants.

In the Hemang Lower Denkyira Constituency, three persons, Isaac Smith Acquah, Foster Joseph Andoh and Seth Agyapong Mensah, would contest for the slot.

For the Cape Coast North Constituency, the incumbent, Dr Kwamena Minta Nyarku, will contest four others, Ibrahim Muntari, Hammond Larie: William Abeiku Hayford and Charles Walker, for the candidature.

The race in the Assin South Constituency will be a two-horse race between Nicholas Nana Baffoe and Stephen Baidoo while Asikuma Odoben Brakwa Constituency will have William Adu-Oduro and Alhassan Kobina Ghansah contesting.

The primary in the Gomoa West Constituency will be between Amoh Foster and Richard Gyan-Mensah while Felix Kwakye Ofosu comes up against Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse in the Abura-Asebu- Kwamankese primary.

Five persons, the incumbent Abeiku Crentsil, Othneil Kwainoe, Meshach Abakah Gynin, Fatimah Amoadu and Saeed Abdulae will contest for the slot at Ekumfi while Maxwell Wiah Asomang and Ernestina Ofori Dangbey will wrestle for the Agona West candidature.

Incumbent George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan will face two others, Thomas Hughes Amissah and George Perry Atta, for Cape Coast South.

Six persons, Jasmine Obrempong, Desmond de-Graft Paitoo, Emmanuel Appoh, Prince Aidoo, Ashetu Mamudua and Abraham Bruce Amissah, would contest the primary in Gomoa East. 

In the Mfantseman Constituency, a lady, Maame Efua Sekyi Aidoo, will battle with six men for the slot. The rest of the candidates are Michael Turkson, Dr Ebenezer Arhin, Kenneth Nkrumah, Alfred Coffie, Kobina Mensah Mannoh and Emmanuel Coffie.

The incumbent Samuel Atta Mills will face Kwesi Austin in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem Constituency. Two men, Fuseini Dodombie and Sadick Mohammed, will slug it out with two women, Phillis Okunor and Dina Dugbaki Tetteh, for the Awutu Senya East slot.

Samuel Ato Amoah will take on incumbent David Vondee for the Twifo Atti Morkwa Constituency.

Clean campaign 

A member of the vetting committee and the National Organiser of the NDC, Joseph Yamin, urged the aspirants to commit to organising clean campaigns devoid of acrimony.

He urged the aspirants to work hard to ensure that the party’s goal of securing 20 seats was achieved.

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