NPP Race: Shocking as Jerry Ahmed defeats experienced MP Tina Mensah at Weija Gbawe

Tina Gifty Naa Ayele Mensah, the incumbent Member of Parliament for Weija Gbawe, has been defeated in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries by Jerry Ahmed Shaib, the CEO of the Coastal Development Authority (CoDA).

Out of the 1151 votes, Jerry Ahmed obtained 786 votes, representing 68.53%, surpassing his key contender, Tina Mensah.

Tina Mensah, who had expressed confidence in her victory based on her track record, garnered only 361 votes, representing 31.47%.

Despite Tina Mensah’s earlier confident declaration of herself as the “landlord” and her opponent as a “rented aspirant,” stating that the seat was not for sale, she failed in her re-election bid.

Tina Mensah has served two terms in parliament as she was elected as the MP for Weija Gbawe in 2016 and 2020.

She was appointed as the Deputy Health Minister by Nana Addo on 15 March 2017.

Addressing the media after the declaration of the provisional results, Jerry Ahmed expressed gratitude for the support from delegates and other party members.

He acknowledged the difficulty in defeating the incumbent MP but hoped to get her to his side ahead of the 2024 elections.

“She is a big person in this contest, so to come from behind and garner these votes. It means I have done well,” he said, adding that despite his win, the party needs to come together to win the seat and secure NPP’s third term.

“So whichever way it is, we all have to work for the NPP, especially against the backdrop that we want to break the eight,” Jerry Ahmed added.