NPP race: If Buaben Asamoa wins, NPP will lose Adentan – Ephson

Pollster Ben Ephson has predicted that incumbent Adentan MP Yaw Buaben Asamoa and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) will lose the Adentan seat in the 7 December 2020 polls should the lawmaker retain the ticket in the party’s parliamentary primaries billed for Saturday, 20 June 2020.

Mr Ephson told Kwame Appiah Kubi in an interview on CTV’s morning show Dwabre Mu on Thursday, 18 June 2020 that victory for Mr Asamoa on Saturday means defeat for the NPP in Adentan at the national elections.

Mr Asamoa is battling former constituency Chairman Emmanuel Kwesi Mantey, Alfred Ababio Kumi and the only female contestant Freda Agyemang Sarpong.

According to Mr Ephson, Mr Buaben Asamoa will win the primaries because the three other contestants will split the ballots.

The former Chairman, Mr Mantey, also told CTV recently that he is the one to bring change to the Adentan constituency.

According to him, the incumbent MP, even if he wins the primaries, cannot retain the seat in the general polls.

"From the elderly to the young, they are all calling for a change because NPP can't win with Yaw Buaben Asamoa”, Mr Mantey told Kwame Appiah Kubi, adding: “I am the one bringing the change".

According to Mr Mantey, the constituents are calling for a change that can earn them development.

The party, a few months ago, held primaries in its orphan constituencies.

It scheduled its primaries for constituencies where it has sitting MPs for April but had to postpone it due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its social gathering restrictions.

Ahead of the upcoming primaries, however, some constituency executives have been up in arms with the party's national executive committee, largely due to allegations of imposition of candidates.

Adentan is noted to be a swing constituency.

Mr Buaben Asamoa, who is the Director of Communication for the NPP, defeated Mr Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore of the NDC in the 2016 elections.

In Mr Mantey’s view, the constituency is lagging behind in development.

He mentioned the need to extend water pipelines to some deprived areas within the constituency and also bemoaned the unmotorable nature of several inner roads, which he promised fix by liaising with other stakeholders should he win the election.

Mr Mantey intimated that his biggest worry is the unemployment rate among the youth, especially the constituency executives, adding: "My focus is to give jobs to the party executives and pay attention to their welfare."

He was optimistic about being able to lobby to get jobs for his constituents.

"Already, I have been giving them jobs in construction among others, so, it is not something difficult...", he said.