Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu loses grip on Suame seat

He is the majority leader and leader of government business and he has represented the people of Suame in Kumasi, for the past 24 years in parliament.

In fact, he is the only Member of Parliament (MP) the constituents in Suame have known, since the inception of the fourth republic.

Some even call him the 'Mugabe' of Suame, because of his long stay in the august house of the legislature.

He has had a smooth run of his lawmaking career to the extent that he has never been contested in the party's primaries and always sailed through the general elections with ease.

Though he managed to ward off competition in the party's recently held primaries, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, is having a rough time, with less than three weeks to the December 7 parliamentary elections.

Constituents in Suame appear to have lost love for their MP, who was a minority leader from January 2009 to January 2017.

The people seem to have found a new love in Mr George Prempeh a.k.a 'Bashaka', a renowned businessman, who is contesting the seat as an independent candidate.

Born and bred in Suame, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Presank Ghana Limited, an oil firm, has been a member and financier of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) since its inception in 1992.

The 49-year-old business tycoon has become the toast of the constituents because of his pedigree in the ruling party, in addition to his achievements in the constituency over the years.

In 2013, when the people of 'Magazine', an artisanal enclave in Kumasi, were faced with difficulty in moving within the environs, Mr Prempeh came to their rescue.

The patrons in the busy commercial hub were forced to go through Tafo in the Tafo Pankrono constituency, before connecting to other areas within the enclave, due to the absence of a bridge.

The great-grandson of late Asantehene, Nana Osei Prempeh I, single-handedly constructed a bridge in the sum of Gh¢140,000.00 to address the problem in the area at the time.

On the employment front, the business magnate over the years has engaged the services of over 500 people in the constituency in his business venture, which is dotted across the country.

In resolving the security challenges in the constituency, Bashaka has established community watchdog committees in the various areas, whose activities are solely financed by him.

His attempt to fix some roads in the constituency with his own equipment and resources was however foiled by power brokers in the area because of his decision to contest the seat as an independent.

Residents in the constituency have vowed to vote 'skirt and blouse' in the upcoming elections, meaning they will vote for president Akufo Addo in the presidential polls and Bashaka in the parliamentary one.

They say Hon Kyei Mensah Bonsu has disappointed them far too long and that it is about time they change their voting pattern.

According to them, Bashaka is somebody they can trust because of his track record in the NPP and the constituency.

"Unlike, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who doesn't live in the constituency, Bashaka is not only a resident but has property all over the constituency," Kofi Asare, a mechanic at 'Magazine' observed.

Rebecca Asante, a resident of Breman expressed disappointment in the majority leader for failing to build an office complex for the party in his 24 years of stewardship.

At Abusuakurowa, Opanin Yaw Badu was not enthused about the MP's neglect of the area, noting that for 24 years in office Hon Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has little to show.

Realising that the grounds do not look good for him, the majority leader for the first time has adopted a door- to -door campaign to convince the electorates to change their minds.

Hon Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who hardly stayed long in the constituency, is now a regular visitor combing the length and breadth of the constituency campaigning for his re-election for the seventh consecutive time.

In spite of this, the majority leader is still finding things difficult as his move appears to have failed in convincing the electorates to have a mind change.

The majority leader in the 2016 elections faced the same problem but managed to sail through when he promised that it was going to be his last term in parliament.

This time around, not even the visits of the President and his vice to the constituency have put the majority in good standing, heading into the December 7 polls.

Hon Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu's attempt to use some party bigwigs to convince Bashaka to step down fell flat, due to the insistence of the businessman to remain in the race.

With the few days to the epic polls, it remains to be witnessed whether the pendulum will swing to the usual position or it will change this time around.

The picture shows posters of Mr George Prempeh a.k.a 'Bashaka' dotted all over the Suame constituency.