In a series of unexpected twists, several New Patriotic Party (NPP) incumbents experienced shocking defeats, losing their parliamentary seats in the highly anticipated party primaries held today, January 27, 2024, across various constituencies.
The surprising outcomes have left political observers and party members buzzing with speculation about the factors that led to these unexpected upsets.
One of the most notable losses came from the Essikado Ketan constituency, where the former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee Against Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue, secured a resounding victory over the incumbent.
One of the major upsets came in the Tano North constituency, where the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Freda Prempeh, saw her bid for re-election thwarted. Dr. Gideon Boako, Spokesperson for the Vice President and NPP flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, emerged victorious with 444 votes, overshadowing Prempeh’s 221 votes.
Dome-Kwabenya witnessed another shocking defeat as the outspoken Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Adwoa Safo, succumbed to the rising political figure Mike Ocquaye Jr. In a convincing win, Ocquaye Jr. secured 1194 votes, leaving Safo with only 328.
The Abuakwa North constituency also experienced a change of guard, with incumbent Gifty Twum-Ampofo narrowly losing to Nana Ampaw Addo-Frempong, popularly known as “Buffalo,” who garnered 222 votes compared to Twum-Ampofo’s 202.
Deputy Minister of Health, Tina Gifty Mensah, became another high-profile casualty as she faced defeat in the Weija Gbawe constituency. Jerry Ahmed Shab emerged victorious with 786 votes, surpassing Mensah’s 361 votes.
In the Effia primary in the Western Region, Minister for Public Enterprises, Joseph Cudjoe, suffered a loss to financial analyst Isaac Nyarko Boamah, further highlighting the unexpected outcomes in these primaries.
Sheila Bartels, who contested in the Ablekuma North poll, faced a narrow defeat as Akua Afriyie polled 756 votes to Bartels’ 637.
