Mad rush for Walewale seat as 8 challenge incumbent NPP MP

Deputy Minister of Agriculture in charge of Annual Crops, Dr. Sagre Bambangi faces a herculean task of retaining his seat in the Walewale Constituency in the wake of a mad rush by some known faces within the party.

Dr Sagre, who is ending his second term by December 2020 needs to beat 8 others who have openly declared their intention to contest the seat including a two-term Presiding Member of the Walewale Municipal Assembly, Seth Panwum, Deputy Chief Executive (CEO) of the Northern Development Authority (NDA), Hajia Lariba Abudu , a presidential staffer one Dr. Tiah Abdul-Kabiru Mahama, Board Member of the Free Zones Authority, Dr Suzana Aga Alo and one M Abdul Rahman among others.

It is the first time in the history of the constituency, there is going to be a fierce contest partly as a result of claims the current MP has under performed and the tradition that no one has been able to go more than two terms.

The governing NPP which earlier announced it was holding parliamentary primaries in constituencies with sitting MPs in January 2020, this portal has gathered, has now moved it to April same year.

No reasons have been assigned but our sources reveal it is to enable enough time for some negotiations in order not to hurt the party ahead of the 2020 polls.

Walewale Constituency in perspective

The Walewale Constituency which is one of the oldest constituencies in the newly created North East Region of Ghana has become a focal point for the two major political parties-the NPP and NDC respectively because the current Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is an indigene of the area.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has won the seat four times [1992, 1996, 2004 and 2008]

The Peoples’ National Convention (PNC) won the seat once, in 2000 whilst the NPP has won the seat twice; 2012 and 2016.

Upon its creation in 1992, Lawyer Ben Baluri Saibu became its first Parliamentarian for only a term and was succeeded by Madam Susana Adams for two terms.

Alhaji Issifu Azumah of the PNC won it in 2000 but lost to ?Alidu Iddrisu Zakari who also went for two terms but lost in the NDC parliamentary primaries in the run-up to the 2012 elections to King James Azortiba who was defeated at the polls by the incumbent Dr Sagre Bambangi and the ticket of the NPP.

For the first time in the history of the constituency, NPP won the Walewale seat through the hard work of Dr Bawumia and party executives who swept almost polling stations within Walewale Zone .

In the 2012 Parliamentary elections, Dr Sagre had 19,328 votes to beat Alhaji Abdallah Abukari of the NDC who had 15, 192 votes (Vote Difference 4,136)

In the 2016 Parliamentary elections, Dr Sagre Bambangi retained the seat for the NPP by obtaining 26,431 votes whilst Alhaji Abdallah Abukari of the NDC got 23, 851 votes (Vote Difference 2,580)