Parliament-obsessed politicians who jumped from one constituency to another
Primaries are part of the internal processes political parties use to select representatives to contest in inter-party elections.
They are organized in the form of an Electoral College where selected card-bearing members of a political party vote for the aspiring candidates of their choice.
Primary elections became the key approach for the selection of parliamentary and presidential candidates by the two leading political parties in Ghana – first by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 1996 and, later, by the National Democracy Congress (NDC) in the early 2000s.
In Ghana, political party primaries are not only a democratic imperative but also a constitutional requirement.
In a strategic twist of political events, some incumbent lawmakers and aspiring candidates made decisions to move away from their incumbent constituencies and rather, plunge into the fray of different constituencies.
In this article, The Ghana Report takes a look at some MPs and aspirants who ditched their constituencies to contest elections in other constituencies.
In no particular order.
Sophia Karen Edem Ackuaku
Sophia Ackuaku, a stalwart National Democratic Congress(NDC) MP representing the Domeabra-Obom constituency, opted to leave her current seat and vie for the Ayawaso Central seat.
Having dutifully represented her constituency for two terms, 2016 and 2020, Madam Ackuaku faced an unexpected twist in her political journey.
Despite her track record, she could not retain her seat in parliament, as she lost her bid to represent the Ayawaso Central constituency on the ticket of her party during its parliamentary primaries.
In effect, her tenure as MP ends officially on January 7, 2025.
Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei
In another noteworthy political manoeuvre, the incumbent MP for Akuapem North, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, decided to forgo her re-election bid in her constituency and instead set her sights on the Okaikwei North Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.
This surprising move is attributed to the decision of Sammy Awuku, a former National Organiser of the governing party, to annex the Akuapem North seat.
Hailing from Akropong in the Akuapem North Constituency of Ghana’s Eastern Region, Nana Ama Dokua who doubles as the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry is serving her second term as an MP.
Adding a layer of intrigue, she secured victory in the Okaikwei North New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primary on December 2, 2023, triumphing over opponents, including the former Deputy Chief Executive of MASLOC, Alberta Afia Akoto, and the former MP for the constituency, Fuseini Issa.
The Okaikwei North Parliamentary seat is currently held by Theresa Lardi Awuni, a member of the National Democratic Congress who defeated the then NPP incumbent Fuseini Issah to snatch the seat.
Many are wondering how Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, who hails from and lives in Akropong in the Akuapem North Constituency, plans to gain acceptance in Okaikwei North.
Pius Enam Hadzide
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority(NYA), Pius Enam Hadzide will be representing the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Asuogyaman constituency in the Eastern region for the 2024 election.
This follows his landslide victory in the parliamentary primaries held on Saturday, December 2, 2023.
The former Deputy Information Minister polled 423 votes to beat the other three aspirants.
His close contender, Paul Asare Ansah obtained 131 while Michael Ernest Ansah and Nana Abrokwa Asare had 113 and 95 votes respectively.
Mr Hadzide will face off with the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) candidate and incumbent MP, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, who is serving his second term in Parliament
The NYA boss had previously contested the Ketu North parliamentary seat in the Volta Region but he was rejected by some NPP delegates during his acclamation ceremony. The delegates claimed that they were not in favour of his candidature because he was not marketable.
Ras Mubarak
Rashid Mubarak (Ras Mubarak), a former MP for the Kumbungu constituency in the Northern Region, surprisingly lost his seat in the 2020 primaries by the NDC.
He was hopeful of retaining his seat and engaged in a vigorous campaign to the best of his knowledge. But at the end of the day, he lost his bid to the incumbent MP, Dr. Hamza Adam
Mr Mubarak was in parliament for one term- 2016 to 2020.
Previously, Ras Mubarak contested for the NDC Parliamentary slot for Ablekuma North in 2011. He won the contest and subsequently stood on the party to contest for the general election in 2012 to represent Ablekuma North as their Member of Parliament.
He lost the contest to the NPP Candidate. He then proceeded to contest for the NDC Parliamentary slot in Kumbungu in 2015.
He again won and contested the Kumbungu constituency seat in the 2016 general election.
Seth Kwame Acheampong
Seth Kwame Acheampong was MP for the Mpraeso constituency in the 5th, 6th, and 7th Parliament of the Fourth Republic but lost to the current MP for the area, David Ansah Opoku, in the last primaries when attempting to seek a fourth term.
Despite losing in the NPP parliamentary primary in 2020, Seth Acheampong’s political journey was reignited with his appointment as Eastern Regional Minister.
He was hopeful of representing the people of New Juaben North in the 2024 elections but he lost the seat in the NPP’s parliamentary race for 2024.