The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Manhyia South primary was won by private attorney Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, who received 376 votes to defeat three other candidates.
He takes the place of Dr. Mathew Opoku-Prempeh, who served as the party’s representative in the seat before being chosen to be Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s running mate.
Dr. Opoku-Prempeh’s brother Nana Owusu Afriyie Prempeh received 141 votes, good for second place, behind only James Owusu Boakye with seven and Akwasi Coker Gyambibi with two.
Before the election, a number of surveys had Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah winning, while the brother of the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) was expected to challenge him fiercely.
As a result, it was hardly shocking when the two of them received about 98% of the vote, leaving the remaining two with fewer than 10 votes between them.
When nominations were opened, five candidates selected forms to compete for the seat; however, Kwadwo Amankwah Antwi withdrew from the race, leaving the remaining four to fight for the position.
In the general 2008 election, Dr. Opoku Prempeh was elected to represent the Manhyian people in parliament. The electorate was subsequently split in half, and he went on to win Manhyia South in 2012.
He took over for Dr. Kwame Addo Kufour, who had occupied the position since 1996.
Dr. Addo Kufour succeeded William Kwasi Asante of the National Democratic Congress party, who had won the seat in 1992. That year, the NPP boycotted the parliamentary elections on the grounds that they believed the presidential contest had been rigged following the announcement of the NDC’s candidate, Jerry John Rawlings.
Professor Albert Adu Boahen, their candidate, finished second in the hotly disputed election that restored democracy to Ghana.
Source: newsthemegh.com