Following the opening of nominations for parliamentary primaries in orphan constituencies of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), a host of former Members of Parliament (MPs) and party functionaries have expressed interest to contest the primaries. Nominations would close on August 10, 2023, for the elections to be held between September 23 and December 2, 2023. Campaigns appear to be picking up in some of the NPP orphan constituencies in the Greater Accra Region when the GNA visited Wednesday afternoon. At Okaikoi North, Ledzokuku, Ablekuma Central, Odododiodio and Korle Klottey, campaign posters and billboards are virtually littering the communities. In the Okaikoi North Constituency, two persons have so far declared their interest to contest the primaries to snatch the seat for the NPP from the National Democratic Congress. Former MP, Issah Fuseini, who lost the seat to Theresa Awuni of the NDC in the 2020 election, wants to stage a comeback hoping to recapture the seat for NPP. He would compete with the current MP for Akuapem North, Nana Dokua Asiamah Adjei, who is switching constituency ahead of 2024. For the Ledzokuku constituency, five aspirants have declared their interest to contest the primaries to represent the NPP in the 2024 election. They are Dr Bernard Oko Boye, a former Member of Parliament (MP) for the area and current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), who wants to stage a comeback against NDC's Benjamin Ayiku. The NHIS Boss would also have to beat a strong challenge from other contenders - Mr Ibrahim Adjei, a Presidential Staffer, Mr Clifford Martey Korle, Mr Markus Orleans, and Nii Ashitey Ollenu, an NPP activist. In the Ablekuma Central Constituency, three persons are likely to contest the primaries. They are Mr Ebenezer Nartey, a former MP for Ablekuma Central, who lost the seat to NDC's Dan Abdul Latif in 2020. He is likely to face stiff opposition from Mr Jefferson Kwamina Sackey, Deputy Director of Communication at the Jubilee House and Collins Amoah, a businessman. In the Odododiodio Constituency, two people are lacing their boosts for the primaries. They are a former parliamentary candidate, Nii Lante Bannerman, who lost the elections in 2016 and 2020. He is likely to be challenged by a party activist, Abdul Mannaf Adjei Sowah.
Source: Ghana News Agency