Mr. Kwabena Boateng, the Second Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Ejisu Constituency, has been elected the parliamentary candidate of the party ahead of the Ejisu by-election scheduled for April 30.
He polled 394 votes out of the 1,033 valid votes cast to defeat eight other candidates in a keenly contested primary at the Forestry Commission Training Centre at Akyawkrom in the Ashanti Region, supervised by the Electoral Commission (EC).
Even before the official declaration by the EC, Mr. Boateng’s supporters burst into wild jubilation after receiving signals that he was on his way to clinching victory.
All the other contestants present congratulated him for emerging as the parliamentary candidate-elect when it became clear he had taken an unassailable lead and pledged their commitment to his campaign in the interest of party unity.
The chosen candidate, a legal practitioner, replaces Dr. John Ampontuah Kumah, the former Member of Parliament, whose death on March 7, 2024, triggered the impending by-election.
He promised inclusive leadership and extended the invitation to his fellow contestants to join him in prosecuting his campaign.
Mr. Boateng said with the internal contest over, the stage was set for collective efforts towards a landslide victory for the NPP, especially in the December general election.
Retaining the NPP in power, he noted, would largely depend on a united front from the polling station to the national level, and charged members to work hard to ensure victory.
Mr Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Regional Chairman, applauded the delegates and all party structures in the constituency for a peaceful exercise.
He reminded them of the huge task ahead and called on all to put their shoulders on the wheel for a resounding victory on December 7.
Meanwhile, in the Agona West constituency in the Central Region, Mr. Chris JoJo Arhin Arthur, the Technical Director of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), has won the NPP Parliamentary primary by defeating the incumbent Member of Parliament, Mrs. Cynthia Mamle Morrison, and three others.
Mr. Arthur polled 240 votes; Mr. Ben Yamoah obtained 221 votes; Mr. Yawson Otoo, 168; Mr. Joseph Afankwa (aka Kojo Addo), 155; and Mrs. Morrison, 152. There were four rejected ballots.
The constituency parliamentary primary was delayed because Mr. Afankwa, an aggrieved contestant, went to court to restrain the constituency executives from holding the election on January 27, 2024.
The Cape Coast Commercial High Court, presided over by Justice Kofi Akrowiah, ruled that the case should be settled out of court amicably.
The election was supervised by the Agona West office of the Electoral Commission, led by it’s director, Mr. Annobil Forson.
Speaking to the media after the primary, Mr. Arthur thanked the delegates for the confidence they reposed in him and pledged to unite the party’s front.
He called on the four losing contestants to rally behind him to maintain the seat for the NPP on December 7.
