The just ended December 7 general elections saw some key Members of Parliament of the governing National Democratic Congress succumbing to defeat. The major casualties included Hannah Tetteh, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Baba Jamal, deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, and Amadu Sorogho, MP for Abokobi Madina.
In Awutu Senya West, Hannah Tetteh was defeated by Nenyi George Andah, a former Marketing Manager of MTN Ghana.
Hannah Tetteh polled 25,664 votes as against 28,867 votes garnered by the Mr Andah who contested on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party.
In the Akwatia Constituency of the Eastern region, Mercy Ama Sey defeated the incumbent Baba Jamal.
Baba Jamal put up a spirited performance with the hope of retaining the seat he won for the governing NDC but his best wasn’t good enough to see him through.
He polled 15,905 votes while Ama Sey, whom he described as hairdresser, garnered 21,433 of the total valid votes cast.
The Akwatia constituency had long been a stronghold of the NPP and therefore came to many as a surprise when Jamal put up a surprise performance to wrestle the seat from then incumbent MP for the area, Kofi Adu Asare in 2012.
In the Brong Ahafo, a region the NDC won more seats in the 2012 elections, deputy Minister for Youth and Sports and Member of Parliament for Dormaa West, Vincent Oppong Asamoah, lost to Ali Halidu of the New Patriotic Party.
Halidu polled 8,422 votes to beat Oppong Asamoah's 8,131 votes.
Incumbent Member of Parliament for Madina-Abokobi, Amadu Sorogho, also lost to the NPP’s Boniface Saddiqe who polled 57.97% of the total votes cast in the constituency as Sorogho polled 39.88%.
The incumbent MP, who has been in Parliament since 2005, was defeated by Boniface Abubakar Saddique who served as the Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing under the former President Kufuor’s administration.
Still in the Greater Accra region, in the Ledzokuku Constituency, NPP’s Bernard Okoe Boye defeated the incumbent Benita Sena Okity Duah by over 2,167 votes. The shock win saw the NPP candidate overturn an 11,000 margin in 2012 to win convincingly.
Many of the voters who spoke to the media revealed that they voted massively against the incumbent MP in order to have an indigene as their representative in parliament.
Also the incumbent Nii Amasah Namoale lost his La Dadekotopon Constituency seat after polling some 38,504 votes. He was beaten by former Chief Executive Officer of Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club and King Faisal Football Club, Vincent Sowah Odotei, who had 40,126 votes.
In the Upper West alone, the ruling NDC lost five parliamentary seats as compared to 2012 when the party swept all the 11 seats in the region.
Among the casualties were MPs for Sisala East, Aligator Suleman, Sisala West, Alhaji Amidu Suleman, who also happens to be the Upper West Regional Minister; and Wa East, Dr Seidu Danaa who is also the Minister of Chieftaincy.
In the Central region, precisely the Cape Coast North constituency, former Deputy Minister of Interior Kwabena Owusu Akyeampong failed in his attempt to succeed First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ebo Barton-Odro as Member of Parliament.
He polled 16,309 votes, which were not enough to beat the 19,475 votes polled by NPP’s Barbara Asher Ayisi.