100 aspiring MPs contest 23 seats in Central Region

Hundred Members of Parliament (MPs) have filed their nomination to contest the 23 constituency seats in the Central Region.

Mrs. Philomena Adusei, Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, who spoke with The Ghanaian Times in an interview on Thursday, said all the forms had been forwarded to the EC head office in Accra to determine which aspirant would be disqualified.

She would neither disclose the number of aspirants who did not pay the filing fees except to say they were all independent candidates, nor would she disclose the identity of the aspirants who submitted their forms late.

Out of the 100 aspirants, 23 each are from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People’s Party (CPP) has 21 aspirants and the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has 18 aspirants, the National Democratic Party (NDP) has four aspirants, the People’s National Convention (PNC), has three aspirants, the United Progressive Party (UPP) has one aspirant while the remaining seven are independent candidates.

The Ajumako Constituency has the highest aspirants of seven followed by Upper Denkyira East with six aspirants while Ekumfi Constituency has one aspirant while Cape Coast South has five aspirants with four others eyeing the Cape Coast North seat.

The constituencies which have independent candidates comprise Cape Coast South, Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese, Gomoa East, Ajumako, Agona West, Assin South, and Upper Denkyira East.

In all 17 females would be battling it out with 83 males, if the EC clears all of them.