By Laudia Sawer
Tema, Dec 3, GNA — As the days hinge close to Saturday, December 7, general elections, house-to-house campaigns have intensified in the Tema Central constituency with party faithful wearing paraphernalia of their favourite candidates to advertise for them.
Tema Central is one of the two constituencies in the Tema Metropolis and the youngest to be set up in 2012.
It was carved out of the Tema East and Tema West constituencies and covers Tema Communities Four, Seven, Eight, Nine, Six, 10, 11, and 12.
Election Pattern
Since its inception, the electorates of Tema Central have consistently voted for the New Patriotic Party, seeing Mr Kofi Brako holding the seat two times and Mr Yves Nii Noye Hanson-Nortey, the current Member of Parliament, going for one term.
While the NPP voted for a new candidate, Mr Charles Forson, to represent the party in the 2024 elections, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) maintained its parliamentary candidate, Ms. Ebi Bright, for three consecutive times.
Ms. Bright, who is the only woman contesting among six men for the three main Tema seats, became the parliamentary candidate for the NDC for the 2016 elections, taking over from Mr James Enu, who was the first to contest on the NDC’s ticket for Tema Central.
Mr James Enu, who is now the NDC parliamentary candidate for Tema West, managed to poll only 12.47 per cent of the votes against his contender, Mr Kofi Brako of the NPP who received an overwhelming 76.96 per cent of the votes.
In 2016, the NDC increased its figures when Ms. Bright came onto the scene contesting against the then MP. While the NPP parliamentary candidate’s figures dropped to 68.31 per cent, showing an 11 per cent drop, she increased the NDC’s votes from 2012’s 4,366 to 12,937, showing over an 85 per cent gain (a difference of 8,571 votes).
The 2020 elections saw Ms. Bright shoring up her vote to 16,728, a difference of 3,791 votes.
Even though three candidates Mr Charles Forson of the NPP, Ms. Bright from the NDC, and Mr Frederick Aniagyei, an independent candidate, are contesting for the Tema Central seat, the race is, however, seen to be a two-horse race between the two main political parties.
With the passing of the Affirmative Action Bill, the quest of gender activists to see more women in the eighth parliament of Ghana, and the study climbing of Ms. Bright, her supporters believe the time was ripe for her to make history in the constituency by snatching the seat for the NDC.
As people believe that three is a perfect number, and Ms. Bright is contesting for the third time, would the gods of elections smile at her efforts on the third stroke? Even though the NDC is visible on the ground, it is only the thumbs of the electorates that would decide on her fate.
Constituency Profile
Tema Central is a cosmopolitan area, as its residents are made up of different ethnic groups, mostly middle-income level people, and some affluent people who reside in planned communities and houses, most of which were constructed by the TDC Ghana Limited.
The constituency houses the Tema light industrial area, which provides employment for many artisans. Its community nine market provides a trading up for traders and buyers of the area.
Tema Central also has many basic schools and many public schools. Its second cycle institutions include Tema Presec, Tema Methodist Day (MEDASS), Tema Technical, Industrial Mission Vocational Training Institute, and the privately owned Datus SHS.
The constituency also provides tertiary education at the Methodist University, Tema Campus of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), and Datalink Institute, among others.
The Tema General Hospital, the only referral facility serving Tema through to Ada, is in the constituency. It also has a lot of privately owned health institutions and fertility clinics.
Challenges
The Tema Central constituency, just like others, also has some challenges, the majority being sewer issues, as leakages of liquid waste are often experienced by residents due to the over-ageing of the central sewer system.
Most public schools in the area are also old and need some rehabilitation, in addition to some parts of the road network needing reshaping.
Security in terms of illuminating the area is also a challenge, as most areas are without functioning streetlights.
Residents have also called for the reviving of recreational areas in the area to bring back the old-time life of children in the communities playing there while their parents also socialise with their neighbours in a safe environment.
GNA