22 Independent candidates emerge in Ashanti: How is NPP protecting its stronghold? – Hafiz Tijani writes

Lessons from the 2020 Parliamentary elections that saw an Independent Candidate from the Fomena Constituency entering the eighth (8th) parliament and subsequently becoming the Second Deputy Speaker remain novel.

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) can not gloss over the circumstances surrounding the whole episode and the central nature of this independent MP to their numbers and status in the 8th parliament when compiling its political history in the Ashanti Region.

Andrews Amoako Asiamah was the NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Fomena from January 2017 until his seat was declared vacant ahead of the 2020 election after he filed to contest the election as an independent candidate.

Mr. Asiamah took the decision after he expressed dissatisfaction about the processes leading to the party’s Parliamentary primary citing some discrepancies and machinations by some executives.

The rank and file of the NPP including the current President, Nana Akufo-Addo, the party’s 2020 Presidential Candidate vigorously campaigned against Mr Asiamah accusing him of betraying the NPP and urged constituents to vote against him in the 2020 Parliamentary election.

He, however, won the election and chose to do business with the NPP group in Parliament.

His choice to associate with the NPP in parliament could not have been more important to the survival of the party in parliament.

Indeed, he tilted the numbers in favour of the NPP, making them the majority group in a 137 – 137 (1) parliament.

In the Ashanti Region, although there were other Independent Parliamentary Candidates in other constituencies, the focus was on Fomena following developments in the area.

The NPP currently holds 42 Parliamentary seats with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) occupying four, with a seat being held by the Independent member.

The latest decision by the Independent Candidate to rejoin the NPP as its candidate in the 2024 elections sparked controversies in the 8th Parliament.

The controversy had to travel to the Supreme Court following Speaker Bagbin’s adherence to Prof Mike Ocquaye’s precedent in declaring the Fomena seat vacant.

The Supreme Court has now put the matter to rest. The verdict is that the Speaker had no business declaring the seat vacant as it did not lie within his province to so do.

With days to the 2024 general elections, a total of twenty-two (22) Independent Parliamentary Candidates, according to the Electoral Commission (EC), have successfully filed to contest in the Parliamentary polls on December 7.

These candidates are coming from key stronghold constituencies of the ruling NPP, with most of them being members of the party.

In the Ejisu and the Afigya Kwabre Constituencies, three independent candidates each have emerged and two in the Atwima Nwabiagya North Constituency.

Other constituencies include Obuasi West and East, Bekwai, Odotobri, Old Tafo, Subin, Oforikrom and Asawase, Kwabre East, Asante Akim Central, Asante Akim North, Mampong, Effiduase Asokore, and Nsuta/Kwamang/Beposo.

These constituencies where these independent candidates have emerged are known strongholds of the NPP, and the candidates are vigorously campaigning with the aim of winning the Parliamentary seats.

Key issues that have stood out in the campaigns of the Independent Candidates as monitored by the Channel One Research Unit are the economy, poor roads, youth unemployment, and abandoned infrastructure in the health and education sectors.

These independents are targeting the NPP candidates as the incumbent MPs in those areas. But the New Patriotic Party (NPP) seemed unperturbed as it maintained that these Independent Candidates would not affect its chances.

The leadership of the NPP in the Ashanti Region said it is aware of the emergence of these candidates and was putting the right strategies in place to take care of any unforeseen circumstances that may arise in the upcoming elections.

For the NPP, happenings in the 8th Parliament have taught them lessons, and they are projecting their presidential and Parliamentary Candidates throughout their campaign activities.

In the 2016 elections, the NPP set an ambitious target of winning all 47 constituencies but ended up losing the New Edubiase Constituency to the NDC.

The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NPP, Adom Appiah, said an Independent Parliamentary Candidate can never win any seat in the December 7 elections again as far as the NPP is concerned.

He emphasized that “not in Ashanti Region again. No Independent Candidate in the Ashanti Region can ever gain grounds and win any Parliamentary seat in the Region. In fact, I can assure you that NPP is going to get more seats than we had in the 2020 elections.

“This time round, we are increasing our votes in the Ashanti Region. So we are not afraid of any candidate, be it NDC or an Independent Candidate. We are not afraid of any of them.”

The 8th Parliament will undoubtedly be remembered for its split composition and controversies as far as Ghana’s political history is concerned.

Both the NDC and the NPP are working hard to maintain their already held Parliamentary seats and also win additional ones to make it simple for them to win the majority in the next parliament to avoid the controversies that rocked the 8th.

With the emergence of these Independent Candidates in the Ashanti Region, coupled with NDC’s target of winning more Parliamentary seats in the region, the NPP has an arduous task to perform at a time when the party is also seeking to ‘Break the 8’.