NPP Primaries: Shaaba Loses; Metro TV Boss & Former DVLA CEO Win

Independent Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw constituency in the Eastern Region, Seth Adjei Baah, popularly called Shaaba, has lost his seat after he decided to seek re-election on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party in a primary held on Saturday.

In what looked like a repeat of the 2008 primary, the sitting MP lost to the NPP’s Eastern Regional treasurer, Eric Kwakye Daffour, thus he (Daffuor) was elected as the NPP Parliamentary candidate for the Nkawkaw constituency on Saturday.

He beat the incumbent MP, Seth Adjei Baah, a former MP, Kwabena Okekyere Ebisa and three others.

Mr. Daffour pulled 192 votes while the former MP, Kwabena Okekyere Ebisa pulled 186 votes. The incumbent MP had 26 votes while Lawyer Joyce Opoku Boateng pulled 102 votes and Mr. Owusu Addo in charge of radio at GBC also pulled 12 votes.

It would be recalled that Shaaba, after losing the primaries in 2008 breached party protocol and stood as an independent candidate.

He was subsequently expelled from the NPP though he won the Nkawkaw seat to represent his people in parliament, beating the NPP candidate.

It however remains unclear if Shaaba will stand as an independent candidate again.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Managing Director of Metropolitan Television (TV), Haruna Alhassan has replaced incarcerated Bawku Central MP, Adamu Dramani Sakande, after winning the NPP primaries held in the constituency.

The primary was organized to find a replacement for the jailed MP.

Adamu Dramani Sakande was recently jailed on three counts of deceit of a public officer, perjury and false declaration by a Fast-Track High Court and sentenced to two years imprisonment for the three counts which would be running concurrently.

Alhaji Haruna Alhassan won by 287 votes beating three other candidates - Gabiana Agbanwa Abugi, a Bawku-based nurse, who had 133 votes, former Upper East Regional Youth Organizer of the party, Mohammed Tahiru Nambe and Baba Seidu Issaka, a businessman.

In a brief acceptance speech, the Metro TV deputy director pledged to work hard to retain the seat for the NPP saying, “I will love to dedicate this win to our departed brothers. I want to also thank my team that worked very hard to secure this victory; It is a victory for the NPP.”

In the Bekwai constituency primary, Independent MP, Hon Joe Osei-Owusu, polled an astonishing 476 votes to defeat former MP, Hon Kofi Opuku Adusei who polled a paltry 37.

In 2008, Mr Osei-Owusu, a former DVLA boss, lost the primaries to the then incumbent MP who was then Deputy Minister for Fisheries by a single vote.

After demonstrations and counter-demonstrations by supporters of both sides, the fierce battle was settled when Mr. Osei-OWusu decided to go solo. He was thus expelled from the party, but the NPP hierarchy decided to give him a second chance after he decided to seek re-election on the party's ticket.