2 widows who succeeded their late husbands to win December 7 polls

Two widows who replaced their husbands in the just-ended Parliamentary race have emerged victors at the end of the polls, MyNewsGh.com has confirmed.

In the Mfantseman Constituency of the Central Region, Chief Inspector (Retired) Ophelia Hayford Quansah formerly of the INTERPOL Unit of the Ghana Police Service replaced her husband who was slain after he was returning from one of his campaign rounds.

The late Member of Parliament (MP) Ekow Hayford Quansah had filed for his nomination on the day and was readying himself for the crucial contest.

He is reported to have been shot at close range on the Abeadze Dominase – Abeadze Duadzi – Mankessim Road while returning from a campaign trip of the area.

His wife Ophelia Quansah Hayford who was a serving Police officer resigned from her position after she was announced as the replacement for her husband in the Parliamentary election.

Although she came in late, Ophelia Hayford was able to garner 36,021 against her competitor Mr. James Odziifo Essoun who had 32,438 votes and won some major strongholds of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

In the Tempane District of the Upper East Region, Lydia Akanvariba Adakudugu replaced her husband Hon. David Adakudugu who died under mysterious circumstances after winning the primaries.

The Nurse by profession beat off stiff opposition from Mr Cletus Azaabi and Dr Samuel George Anarwat in the Parliamentary primaries to replace her husband.

Madam Lydia Akanvariba Adakudugu came up against the New Patriotic Party’s Joseph Dindiok Kpemka who is the incumbent Member of Parliament and Deputy Attorney General.

She was written off by pundits who thought Kpemka had a grip of the Timpane Constituency and could retain it for the NPP.

But at the end of the election, Lydia Akanvariba Adakudugu garnered 20,939; representing 55.99% of the votes cast on the day whilst Joseph Kpemka got 16,461 of the votes cast representing 44.01%.