Constituency Focus: Can NDC Wins Ahafo Ano South East Constituency Parliamentary Seat in 2024?
Constituency Focus is an initiative by Ghanaiandemocrat.com to conduct research and investigation into some swinging constituencies and those with strange dynamisms towards elections 2024.
One of the constituencies with very strange dynamisms is the Ahafo Ano South East Constituency in the Ashanti Region.
Since the creation of the Ahafo Ano South East Constituency in the Ashanti Region in the year 2012, all the elections pollsters predicted victory for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the constituency.
Three consecutive elections; 2012, 2016 and 2022 had been conducted since the creation of the constituency but NDC lost all the three to the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The Parliamentary results since 2012 are as follows:
2012
FRANCIS MANU-ADABOR
NPP 13,145 54.23%
THOMAS KWAKWAH
NDC 10,860 44.80%
OPOKU DARKWA EDMOND
NDP 235 represented 0.97%
The differences between NPP and NDC: 2, 285
2016
FRANCIS MANU-ADABOR
NPP 14,198 represented 54.84%.
CHRIS BOADI-MENSAH
NDC 11,640 represented 44.96%.
AWINI ZECHARIAH
CPP 54 represented 0.21%.
The difference between NPP and NDC: 2,558
2020
FRANCIS MANU-ADABOR
NPP 15,136 represented 53.80%.
YAKUBU MOHAMMED
NDC 12,999 represented 46.20%.
The difference between NPP and NDC: 2,237.
The multi-million dollars question posed by many in wonderment is, are the pollsters undertaken their duties with due diligence, that made them to always had their predictions wrong?
The true of the matter according to a recent research conducted by the Institute of Media and Democracy (IMD), a registered progressive nonprofit watchdog and advocacy think thank is that those predictions by the pollsters are not far from the truth.
The IMD revealed that the main cause of the NDC failure in the constituency is the leadership. All the three elections, it is lack of leadership that cause the party. NDC needs a parliamentary candidate who has qualities beyond normal to be able to win the parliamentary seat and increase the presidential votes margin.
According to the findings from the Institute of Media and Democracy, NDC can not win parliamentary seat in the Ashanti Region with just an ordinary parliamentary candidate who does not possess extra ordinary qualities that will appeal to all the constituents.
“If indeed NDC wants to win the parliamentary seat in the constituency and increase the presidential votes margin, then the party needs a person who has all the qualities it takes to lead the Constituency in the 2024 general elections.” A section of the findings stated.
The IMD research pointed out that NDC needs a candidate that can appeal to all the constituents but not only NDC because the party votes alone can never secure victory.
According to the IMD findings, a lot of factors contributed to the winning of seat in the opponents stronghold like Ashanti Region.
“The party needs a candidate that can appeal to the floating voters and touch the hearts of some of the opponents party members to be able to win the seat.
“A candidate that can conduct thoroughly research and investigation and map up strategies that go beyond politics.”, the findings added.
Ghanaian Democrat will investigate the parliamentary candidate aspirants who will emerge in the constituency and updating the public accordingly.
Story: Idris Ibn Mohammed
