Aspirants in the Ashanti Region have submitted their forms as nominations officially closed on Monday (25 December) ahead of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries.
It is the last internal election set to be held in constituencies with sitting MPs. In the Bantama Constituency, incumbent Works and Housing Minister Francis Asenso Boakye is seeking a second term to retain the seat on the ticket of the NPP.
However, he would face fierce competition from lawyer Ralph Agyapong, brother of Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong.
Asenso Boakye says he remains confident of a win as he alleges that his opponent is not eligible to contest in the 27 January race.
“Politics is about service, and we have been serving the people of Bantama for a very long time. My opponent is not known in this constituency. In fact, per the dictates of our party’s constitution, he has not even nurtured the party in the last three months and stands disqualified,” he alleged, adding, “but I won’t pursue that.”
“All that I know is that even when the election is held today, I will have a flawless victory,” he remarked.
Lawyer Ralph Agyapong is, however, rejecting the claim, insisting that the vetting committee will have to determine his fate. He maintains he is the best candidate to unite the party and retain the seat for the NPP. Agyapong addressed journalists earlier today when he filed his nomination at the Bantama NPP office.
“I believe that I am going to win this contest,” Agyapong said. “I will not want to engage myself in any political banter… After I have gone through the vetting process, if there is any shortfall, that will be made known to everybody.”
“Delegates have been very accommodating but at the end of the day, it is the message. We need to redeem the image of Bantama and I am the best person to do that. I have come to unite Bantama Constituency to secure more votes for the NPP,” he said.
The party would have a huge task to deal with possible voter apathy after the Bantama primaries. Constituency Chairman Fiifi Mensah says his leadership will work to avert such threats.
Reporting by Jonathan Ofori in the Ashanti Region
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