Analysis: Is it more likely that Dr. Abed Bandim will win a second term to represent Bunkpurugu constituency?

Although National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential candidates have won Bunkpurugu since 1992 with over 50 percent - eight election cycles - their Parliamentary candidates didn’t always win.

And when Dr Abed Bandim contested in 2020 and beat Solomon Boar, the then Member of Parliament (MP) cum first North East Regional Minister, it was the first time since 1996 that any MP had won with over 50 percent - seven election cycles.

In Ghana, a Parliamentary candidate needs only a simple majority to win.

Hon. Bandim thus became MP on 7th January, 2021; he has served only three-and-half years.

During this tenure, he has initiated a lot of development projects including boreholes, health infrastructure, security, sports and recreation, school infrastructure and foot bridges.

Hon. Dr Bandim has also invested in the people through over 70 scholarship grants and facilitated employment for over 130 people in the public and civil service including the security services.

Hon. Dr. Abed Lamangin Bandim last Thursday filed his nomination papers to contest the Bunkpurugu constituency seat for a second term.

His main challenger will be the same Solomon Boar, the former MP who was not reappointed North East Regional minister, ostensibly because he lost the seat to Abed Bandim.

The North East Region is dear to the heart of former President John Dramani Mahama who has promised to place a military barracks there to improve peace and security.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) held the seat from 2012 through 2020 until the young and dynamic Abed Bandim took it from the NPP with 51.4 percent of the votes against Boar’s 47.6 percent.

This rematch is thus about which of the two candidates has better served the people and whose party has improved the economy to the direct benefit of the constituents.

Hon. Bandim recently took Metro TV and other media houses on a tour of the constituency where he inaugurated “over 40 boreholes.”

Boar, for his part, is promising the construction of the town roads by his incumbent NPP administration led by President Akufo-Addo and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

Over the last three-and half years, Dr Abed Bandim has asked several questions on the Floor of Parliament about the roads, bridges and abandoned GETFUND school infrastructure projects.

The ministers responsible always responded that the continuation of those projects depended on “the availability of funds” and avoided being pinned down by any “deadlines” when pressed by the Rt. Honourable Speaker.

After filing his nomination, Honourable Abed, as he is affectionately called, held a rally at the Bunkpurugu main lorry station where he told the people about the roads: “The NPP is playing with our minds; there is no budget for it”.

The incumbent MP explained that he had followed “the roads minister for years now”.

Dr. Abed Bandim added: “Why didn’t they come to do it till three months to the election! They are constructing a road without gutters and bridges and the road is not even up to one inch thick. How can you be tarring the road and the rains are washing it off”.

These issues dominate social media chatter and conversations among the local folk as they go about their daily chores.

The elections will be held on 7th December.

In the 2020 Presidential election John Mahama (JM) won with 51.94 percent while Akufo-Addo came in second with 47.25 percent for that constituency.

Thus it is clear that the people of Bunkpurugu constituency wanted a more dynamic leader despite the creation of the new North East Region within which their constituency falls; and despite their then MP being the Regional Minister.

In 2016, the constituents gave JM 51.94 percent of the votes versus 46.12 percent for Akufo-Addo/Bawumia, but retained Solomon Boar for a second term as MP. In that election, the NDC front was divided because one within their rank and file contested as independent candidate.

Even then Solomon Boar was elected with 49.07 per cent; and earlier in 2012 he was elected with 38.85 percent of the vote, meaning he has never won more than half of the votes.

Since the 2000 Parliamentary election, that is, for the past seven election cycles, no parliamentary candidate has crossed 50 percent except Abed Bandim as earlier indicated who won for the first time in 2020 with 51.4 percent.

The last time any Parliamentary candidate crossed 50 percent was in 1996; he was also an NDC candidate.

The NPP presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, together with the same running mate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, contested in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 but lost each time in Bunkpurugu.

Meanwhile, the NDC Presidential candidates John Atta-Mills and John Mahama both won with more than 50 percent in Bunkpurugu in those aforementioned years they contested.

Clearly, young dynamic Dr. Abed Lamangin Bandim has a unique charisma, broader appeal, is a unifying force and is more popular among his constituents.