By Christiana Afua Nyarko, GNA
Accra, May 1, GNA – More than 135,000 voters are expected to cast their ballots in this year’s General Election in the Anyaa Sowutuom Constituency.
The constituency, with a total population of 332,232 out of which 170,640, representing 51.4 percent are females and 161,592, 48.6 percent, males, is undoubtedly a stronghold for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
That notwithstanding, national elections here have always been competitive with the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and others fielding candidates.
Already, the constituency with about 50 communities, 13 electoral areas, 295 polling centres, is flooded with posters and banners of political parties ahead of the December polls.
The Anyaa-Sowutuom constituency, located in the Ga Central Municipality, was carved out of the Weija-Gbawe constituency in 2012.
The constituency, which shares boundaries with Trobu and Ablekuma North constituencies, is located 16 kilometres away from the main city of Accra.
The main economic activities of the constituents, according to data from the Ga-Central Municipal Assembly, are commerce and formal sector jobs mainly in education, health, finance.
Many are also into artisanship, and entrepreneurship with less than 20 percent of the working population in Agriculture, mainly livestock rearing and vegetable farming.
The constituency has benefitted from some considerable level of infrastructural developments such as the Awoshie -Pokuase highway, the ongoing construction of an 18-unit classroom block at Abeka Motorway School at Chantan, the ongoing construction of roads in selected locations at Antie Aku, Abeka and around Pentecost University and a number of public and private health facilities and CHPS compounds.
However, poor road network and drainage systems across the constituency, non-functioning streets lights on sections of the Awoshie-Pokuase highway, power outages and high youth unemployment appear to be major concerns for the electorate going into the December polls.
Voters in the constituency such as Christy, a food vendor, tells the GNA that the issues that would influence her to vote in the upcoming election include youth unemployment, the halted construction of a bridge at Antie Aku and the fixing of non-functioning street and traffic lights.
“Many young men and women are loitering around and engaged in crimes because there are no jobs. I will vote for a person who shows commitment to help get the youth employed, fix the streetlights and the bridge over here.”
Issues such as the rising cost of living, power outages, governmental and institutional corruption are concerns of Abel Tetteh, a retired driver.
“All they do is to embezzle State funds when they win power. Until I see my finances and living improved, the dumsor ceasing and the corruption reduced, I don’t think I will waste my time queuing in the Sun to vote for anybody,” he says.
Alice Agyeiwaa, a teacher, says “I am ready to vote for any candidate who will facilitate more educational infrastructure, improve sanitation and facilitate the fixing of street and traffic lights because the accidents and car knockdowns are one too many especially at Awoshie.”
The NPP has retained the seat since 2012.
Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, the Minister for Foreign Affairs served as Member of Parliament (MP) for two consecutive terms for the constituency.
She won the parliamentary polls in 2012 on the ticket of the NPP against the then NDC candidate Sedinam Christine Tamakloe Attionu with a margin of 63.41 percent and with a margin of 69.1 percent in 2016 against the then NDC candidate, David Nii Abossey Braide.
In 2020, she stepped down for Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, who contested and won the parliamentary seat by a margin of 64.73 percent against the NDC’s Emmanuel Adotey Allotey.
Dr. Kissi was toppled by Emmanuel Tobbin, a business magnate, with 818 votes as against 566 votes during the Party’s parliamentary primaries in November last year.
Mr Tobbin would contend with his main opponent Emmanuel Adotey Allotey from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and other political parties and independent candidates come December 2024.
As in past elections, the stakes are high, with the parties and independent aspirants deploying schemes and strategies to grab the seat.
It looks a safe seat for the NPP, but the rulling party needs to do more work-address the concerns of the electorate for a good winning margin.
GNA