Over two hundred delegates making up the electoral college of governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Mpohor in the Western Region are electing their parliamentary candidate today ahead of the 2020 parliamentary elections on December 7.
The elections today (Saturday, June 20, 2020) will electrify the constituency which has been controlled by the NPP for over a decade.
In all, 294 delegates are expected to cast their ballots today at 14 voting centres with Mpohor ICT centre designated as a collation centre.
The voting is expected to start at 7 am and close at exactly 1 pm.
Two aspirants competing for the vacancy are; Hon. Alex Kofi Agyekum, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for the area and Mr John Kobina Abbam Aboah Sanie.
The NPP is set to conduct the primaries in almost all the sitting Constituencies in the country.
The party had already elected their parliamentary candidates in all orphan Constituencies across the country on Saturday, September 28, 2019.
In Western Region, the party is conducting the parliamentary primaries in seven (7) Constituencies out of the seventeen Constituencies.
The 7 Constituencies are; Ahanta West (Hon. Ebenezer Kojo Kum, the incumbent and Mr Kwesi Biney), Amenfi East (Hon. Patrick Bogyako-Saime, the incumbent and Mr Edward Amo-Acquah), Effia (Hon. Joseph Cudjoe, the incumbent MP and Mrs Adwoa Kwegiriba), Kwesimintsim (Hon. Joseph Mensah, the incumbent MP and Mr Prince Hamidu Armah), Mpohor (Hon. Alex K. Agyekum, the incumbent and John Aboah Sanie), Shama (Hon. Ato Panford, the incumbent and Mr Samuel Erickson Abakah) and Takoradi (Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the incumbent MP and Mrs Janet Mensah).
Out of the 14 aspirants, only two women are contesting namely; Mrs Janet Mensah who is contesting in Takoradi Constituency and Mrs Adwoa Kwegiriba who is also contesting in Effia Constituency.
However, aspirants in Tarkwa-Nsuaem, Sekondi, Prestea Huni-Valley, Jomoro, Evalue-Ajomoro Gwira and Essikado-Ketan Constituencies namely; Hon. George Mireku-Duker, Hon. Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, Hon. Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, Hon. Paul Essien, Hon. Catherine Afeku, Hon. Joe Ghartey respectively are running unopposed.
Speaking to the District Chief Executive (DCE) who is the Chairman of the District Security Council for the Mpohor at 6 am on Saturday, June 20, Hon. Assah Mensah said all was set for the conduct of the primaries.
He seized the opportunity to hail the aspirants for conducting themselves well before, during and after campaigning.
He charged those without proper accreditation to stay away from the voting booth.
He cautioned those who hatched plans to bring disturbances to the voting centres to desist from that, adding that the Ghana Police Service had promised to provide massive security protection to all delegates and other observers before, during and after the polls.
He also promised to liaise with the Ghana Police Service to protect all the delegates and other observers.
He, therefore, urged the delegates and party faithful to rally behind the victor in today's contest to retain the seat.
Earlier, the Western Regional Secretary of the party, Mr Charles Bissue in a statement emphasized that "You may recall that the Vigilantism and Other Related Offences Bill (2019) was passed by the Parliament and the President of the Republic has assented to it".
"The objective of the Bill is to disband political party vigilante groups and proscribe acts of vigilantism in the country. The Regional Hierarchy of the NPP will, therefore, abide fully by this law", he added.
"By this notice, we are reminding all Parliamentary Aspirants, Party Officers as well as all other Political Actors, that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is a political party that promotes, projects and protect the Rule of law. Thus, for tomorrow’s programme and beyond the Regional hierarchy will not countenance any form of vigilantism", he cautioned.
Mr Charles Bissue stated that 14 Regional Executives have been charged to monitor all the Constituencies where the elections are being conducted.
In Ahanta West Constituency the incumbent Member of Parliament MP for the area, Hon. Ebenezer Kojo Kum who recaptured the seat from the NDC in 2016 for the NPP is being challenged by the former DCE for the area, Hon. Kwesi Biney.
In all, 750 delegates are expected to vote today.
Ahanta West has 36 voting centres plus the party office making 37 centres.
As the time of filing this report at 80am, voting has not started and according to Information reaching our Correspondent indicates that the Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) have not landed in the Constituency but the Constituency is calm, people are doing their normal businesses.
When our Correspondent got to Module School voting centre in Agona Nkwakwa, no one was there to vote, not even EC officials and it is the same situation at the party's office.
Our Correspondent is at SDA voting centre in Agona Nkwakwa and no EC official is here as at 8:20 am.
The voting is expected to start at 7 am and close at exactly 1 pm