Koforidua, Dec. 9, GNA- The epic December 7 general elections erupted some isolated earth-quakes among the 26 incumbent Eastern Region Members of Parliament (MPs) which resulted in stunning defeats of four of them, the replacement of four for various reasons and a return of 18 of them.
Among the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) 18 incumbent MPs who were returned to the august House included the five Cabinet Ministers made up of the Minister Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Yaw Osafo Marfo, MP for Oda, the Foreign Minister, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, MP for Abuakwa South, the Interior Minister, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, MP for New Juaben North, Minister of Manpower Development and Employment, Mr Yaw Barimah, MP for New Juaben South and the Parliamentary Leader, Mr Felix Owusu-Agyapong.
The others included the Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo Mensah, MP for Mpraeso and the Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, Dr Charles Yaw Bimpong Yeboah, MP for Atiwa.
The four defeated MPs included two for NDC, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Fanteakwa and Emmanuel Dwamena Bekoe, Asuogyaman, while the NPPs were Dr William Boakye Akoto, Abirem North and Mr Seth Wiafe Dankwa, Nsawam-Aburi, both of whom stood as Independent candidates after losing in their NPP primaries.
The four other MPs who are not returning to the House include NPP MP for Akropong, Mr Agyare Koi-Labi, who decided to step down, the NPP MP for Suhum, Mr Ransford Yaw Agyepong, who lost in NPP primary, Mr Kwakye Addo, NDC Afram Plains South, lost in the primary and Mr P.K. Amoabeng, NPP Lower West Akim, barred from NPP primaries.
The other re-elected NPP MPs included Mr Eugene Atta Agyepong, Abetifi; Mr Kiston Akomeng Kissi, Akwatia who demolished the dreams of NDC Deputy General Secretary, Mr Baba Jamal; Mr Bradford Daniel Kwame Adu, Okere; Mr Ofosu Asamoah, Kade; Mr Godfred Otchere, Ayensuano; Mr Kwabena Adusa Okerchiri, Nkawkaw.
For the NDC, the four re-elected incumbents included Mr Samuel Sallas-Mensah, Upper West Akim, Mr Michael Nyaunu, Lower Manya; Mr Joseph Tsatsu Agbenu, Afram Plains North and Mr Raymond Tawiah, Yilo. The new faces to represent the Eastern Region in the House as from January 7, 2005, would include the only woman, Madam Esther Obeng Dapaah, NPP Abirem. The others are, Mr Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, NPP Asuogyaman; Mr Kwadwo Agyei-Addo, NPP Fanteakwa; Mr William Ofori Boafo, NPP Akropong; Mr Emmanuel Magnus Opare Asamoah, NPP Nsawam/Aburi (formerly Akuapem South) Mr Fredric Opare Ansah, NPP Suhum; Mr James Apietu-Ankrah, NPP Lower West Akim and Mr Raphael Kofi Ahaligah, NDC Afram Plains South.
The representatives of the two newly-created constituencies which increased the Eastern Region seats to 28, include Mr Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu, NPP Abuakwa North and Mr David Oppong-Kissi, NPP Ofoase-Ayirebi.
Among the high profile losers in the electoral battle on the NPP side included the Eastern Regional Deputy Minister, Mr Gustav Jonathan Narh-Dometey who vied strongly for the Upper Manya and Mrs Difie Dedo Agyarko-Kusi, a Lawyer/Linguist of the United Nations System in France, who attempted the Lower Manya seat and Mr Christian Kofi Tetteh, District Chief Executive for Yilo, all of whom gave the NDC incumbents in the three Krobo seats known to be NDC strongholds, a had run for their money.
All they managed to achieve was substantial reductions in the overwhelming NDC loyalty in the area. The same episode could also be said for the Upper West Akim seat where Mr Sallas-Mensah's fourth run for the House was nearly derailed by a young entrant, Nana Yaw Asare Koranteng, who lost the diadem by only 225 votes.
An NPP MP who faced a scare in his third attempt to Parliament was Nkawkaw's Mr Okerchiri, chairman of the House Select Committee for Foreign Affairs, where a young businessman, Mr Seth Adjei Baah, (popularly called Shaaba), a known NPP member who decided to run as an Independent candidate and managed to rip-off 14,977 votes from the highly-populated NPP stronghold.
