Can NDC's Faustina Akurugu replace Adwoa Safo in Dome-Kwabenya constituency?

In barely a week, Ghanaians will go to the polls to elect a president and 276 Members of parliament.

Campaign activities have intensified in the Dome-Kwabenya constituency between the ruling NPP and the largest opposition NDC candidate, for the parliamentary seat.

Mike Ocquaye Jnr, the NPP’s candidate and a former Ghana’s ambassador to India and former CEO of the Ghana Free Zones Authority is contesting for the first time after defeating Madam Adwoa Safo, the incumbent MP in the party primaries, whiles madam Faustina Elikplim Akurugu of the NDC is appearing for the second time after making significant inroads in the 2020 general elections.

Mike Ocquaye comes to the contest with much political advantages such as being a son of the former two-time MP for the area and the fact that the constituency is one of the strongest and largest strongholds of the NPP in Greater-Accra, having annexed the seat since 2004.

He has adopted the door-to door campaign strategy to canvass votes describing his campaign as a “submarine” whiles Madam Akurugu is relying on the NDC’s campaign message of change to rally support for victory come December 7.

Speaking in an interview with the GNA Gender-desk, Madam Akurugu noted that after 20 years of voting for the NPP in the area, there was nothing to show and was therefore convinced that the people of Dome-Kwabenya would endorse her to bring different perspectives to the development of the constituency.

She mentioned five key policies on which she was campaigning, inclusive governance, safety and security, job creation, infrastructure and social and welfare development and institutionalize a novel ‘state of constituency address’ annually to ensure inclusiveness, accountability, and transparency in her leadership.

Madam Akurugu, contested for the seat in 2020 and lost with 52,262 votes (40.97%) to Madam Adwoa Safo, the incumbent MP, who obtained 75,041 (58.68%).

A product of the Bolgatanga Girls Secondary School, she holds a BA, psychology with Linguistics from the University of Ghana and MPhil, Guidance and Counselling from the Methodist University.

Prior to contesting in the 2020 general elections, Madam Akurugu had worked with the World Vision Ghana in several communities in the central region and is currently managing a couple of private businesses.

She has since remained continually active in the politics of the area and established a scholarship scheme sponsoring over 100 people in the constituency at various levels of education among many other self-financed projects to alleviate plight of constituents.

Dome-Kwabenya constituency was created in 2004 out of Madina-Abokobi and has remained one of the strongest and largest strongholds of the NPP in Greater Accra, winning in both the presidential and parliamentary elections.

In 2004, Professor Mike Ocquaye, became the first MP for the area on the ticket of the NPP with 42,914 votes (65.50%), whiles Mr Isaac Adama of the NDC polled 21,161 votes (32.30%).

Professor Mike Ocquaye retained the seat in 2008 with 35,3 21 votes (57.67%), Zita Okaikoi of the NDC had 24,163 votes (39.45%) and in the 2012 general elections Adwoa Safo increased the margin to 63,373 (63.75%) whiles NDCs Karen Ackuaku polled 35,366 votes (35.58%).

Madam Adwoa Safo retained the seat in 2016 with a slight increased margin of 63,488 votes (67.99%) and Mr Nurudeen Mohammed of the NDC polled 29,392 votes (31.48%), in 2020, the NPPs Adwoa Safo, further increased the margin to 75,041 votes (58.68%) whiles Faustina Akurugu polled a surprise by obtaining 52,262 votes (40.97%) for the NDC.

Some political watchers have predicted that madam Akurugu could break the NPP jinx in the constituency considering the massive votes she polled as a first timer in the 2020 general elections and the fact that she is a woman increased her enhance her to wrestle the seat from the NPP.