NPP polls: Losing giant political luminaries has consequences for Ghana – Henry Quartey

The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso Central, Henry Quartey, has bemoaned the consequences that parliament could face due to the failure of a number of experienced members from the House in their re-election bids during the just-ended NPP parliamentary primaries.

The MP, who is also the Greater Accra Regional Minister, explained that this outcome places Ghana, as a whole, in a very tight corner, seeing that many of these failed candidates are very experienced members of parliament, a citinewsroom.com has said.

In all, 28 incumbent MPs from the NPP were unsuccessful in their attempts to be retained to represent their party in the December 2024 elections.

This adds up to the 18 National Democratic Congress incumbent MPs who were also unsuccessful in their bids during the party’s primaries in 2023.

Reacting to this after the Saturday, January 27 polls of the NPP, which he participated in and won, Henry Quartey said there will be the need for the new entrants to prepare to be quickly acquainted with parliamentary practices when they eventually get in.

“Undoubtedly, losing these giant political luminaries has consequences for Ghana as a country and the Legislature itself. The young ones coming would have to acquaint themselves with parliamentary practices so that they are able to gradually fill the gaps that these giant legislators have left,”

Henry Quartey, however, added that the calls on political parties to shield experienced lawmakers from being contested in internal elections is not a suggestion that should be upheld.

Some of the big names that failed in the NPP polls are Sarah Adwoa Safo of Dome Kwabenya, Seth Kwame Acheampong of New Juabeng North, and Dr. Freda Prempeh of Tano North, who is also the sitting Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources.

AE