Battle for Sunyani East Seat

The Senior Minister, Mr. Joseph Henry Mensah, also MP for Sunyani East is in trouble, as he faces a strong challenge for his seat in parliament in 2004 from young, enterprising lawyer, Nana Obiri Boahen.

Nana Boahen, Brong Ahafo regional President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), dares the minister to come to the constituency primaries with him if he is prepared to contest the seat this time.

Speaking to the Chronicle in Sunyani, the aspiring MP, said this time he would not accept any internal lobbying to step down as was done to him when he contested for the regional chairmanship of NPP.

He said he was confident that he would beat the old man hands down, because he (Mr. Mensah) is out of ideas and research had proved that most of the electorate are no longer interested in him as their representative in parliament.

Nana Boahen said even though he is also interested in the Sunyani West seat, he preferred to have a go at Mr. Mensah's seat, adding that the final decision would come from his financiers and advisers.

Chronicle sources indicate that since the country returned to democratic rule, the Sunyani seats had always been occupied by people who did not hail from the town and this might go against both the Senior Minister and Nana Boahen at the primaries.

But, Nana Boahen has dismissed that notion, saying that Nkwabeng where he used to be chief is part of Sunyani and therefore he is qualified to contest and win the seat for the elephant party.

Another aspiring candidate, who may pose a threat to both Mr. Mensah and Nana Boahen, is the regional youth organizer, Mr. Oppong Twumasi, also a lawyer and a native of Sunyani.

Mr. Twumasi,38, told Chronicle that he is going to beat Nana Boahen by about 80 %.