NPP Primaries: Oppong Nkrumah retains Ofoase Ayirebi

Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has won the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) primaries in the Ofoase Ayirebi constituency of the Eastern Region.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah, who is the current Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, polled 378 votes to retain the seat.

His contender Mr Maxwell Dwamena polled 100 votes followed by Mr Eric Owusu Mensah who polled 92 votes.

The NPP held its parliamentary elections across the country on Saturday, January 27, 2024.

Meanwhile, GhanaWeb reports that of the full list of incumbent casualties from the Saturday, January 27, 2024, parliamentary primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), perhaps, the most talked about loss is that of Sarah Adwoa Safo.

The Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya’s loss to Mike Oquaye Jnr, the son of a former Speaker of Parliament, has taken over major news portals, with social media users using the opportunity to troll the one-time darling female MP.

But her failure to earn a re-election bid to represent the party in the upcoming December 2024 general elections does not leave her in an island.

In total, there were six sitting MPs from the NPP who were disappointed by delegates during the Saturday polls.

It is worth noting that two of these female MPs are current appointees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo: Freda Prempeh, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources; and Gifty Twum Ampofo, a Deputy Minister of Education.

Find below the full list of women MPs who lost their bids for retainment:

Sheila Bartels, Ablekuma North

The incumbent MP lost to her predecessor, Nana Akua Owusu Afriyieh, who had come on a revenge in what has been described as a fiercely contested race.

Out of a total of 1,393 valid votes cast, Sheila Bartels polled 637 votes, whiles Nana Afriyieh polled 756 votes.

In the 2020 primaries, Bartels beat Nana Afriyieh, who was then the incumbent, by more than 200 votes.

Adwoa Safo, Dome Kwabenya

Mike Oquaye Jnr dealt a hefty and abrupt blow to the political future of the incumbent Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Sarah Adowa Safo.

This was after he beat her in the Saturday, January 27, 2024, parliamentary primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The results, as declared by the EC officials are as follows:

Mike Oquaye Jnr - 1194

Adwoa Safo - 328

Sheela Oppong - 186

The Dome-Kwabenya parliamentary seat, one of the largest constituencies in Ghana, has been a hotbed for elections.

Tina Mensah, Weija-Gbawe

Tina Mensah, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for the Weija-Gbawe Constituency, was beaten to the spot by Jerry Ahmed Shaib, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Coastal Development Authority (CODA), in the New Patriotic Party’s parliamentary primary.

Jerry polled 786 to beat the Deputy Minister of Health, who calls herself the “Landlady of Weija-Gbawe,” as she only managed to poll 361 votes.

A total of 1,210 delegates were expected to vote, but 1,151 voted, with four rejected ballots.

Gifty Twum-Ampofo, Abuakwa North

The Deputy Minister of Education, Gifty Twum-Ampofo, polled 202 votes while Nana Ampaw Addo-Frempong popularly known as Buffalo polled 222 votes to win the parliamentary primary.

A prominent figure in Ghana’s security and governance, Palgrave Boakye Danquah polled 76 votes while Nana Kwame Mamfe had four votes.

Freda Prempeh, Tano North

Dr Gideon Boako, a personal aide to the Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, clinched victory in the Tano North constituency, securing the NPP's ticket for the upcoming 2024 general elections.

Boako's resounding win saw him garner 442 votes, while his closest contender, Freda Akosua Prempeh, trailed behind with 221 votes.

Freda Akosua Prempeh is also the current Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources.

She took over from Cecilia Dapaah after she resigned.

Ama Pomaa, Juaben

The results from the Juaben constituency are as follows:

Francis Kwabena B Owusu-Akyaw – 334

Ama Pomaa Boateng – 120