A GNA feature by Edward Williams
Hohoe (V/R), Oct. 23, GNA – Presidential elections in Ghana under the Fourth Republic (1992-Date) have been keenly contests of either retaining the seat after a four-year term or regaining after an eight-year term until the “breaking the 8” by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) surfaced to give a room for the contest of retaining.
However, Parliamentary contests within the period have been a “retain or regain” phenomena either after four or eight years starting from the parliamentary primaries within same political parties through to the parliamentary elections between parties.
The Hohoe Constituency caught the attention of the entire nation prior to the 2020 elections when a third-time contestant for the Seat; Mr John-Peter Amewu, then Minister for Energy resurfaced on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He was acclaimed in 2019 to battle for the seat with Professor Margaret Kweku, a former Dean of the Fred N. Binka Public School of Health, University of Health, and Allied Science (UHAS) and the then parliamentary candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Prof Kweku went through the parliamentary primaries being the only female among four men, but subsequently lost the parliamentary elections with 21,821 votes to Mr Amewu who polled 26,952 votes to become the first NPP Member of Parliament (MP) of the Constituency since 1992.
Retaining the Hohoe Seat
Mr Amewu, the incumbent MP and the Railway Development Minister has been acclaimed to again lead the Party into the 2024 parliamentary elections in the Constituency.
He is confident of winning the election based on his records with the hope of being able to complete what he had started during his second term.
Mr Amewu said development would reach every constituent hence some would receive theirs in the morning, others in the afternoon and some in the evening.
Regaining the Hohoe Seat
The NDC in its keenly contested parliamentary primaries by six candidates, saw the election of Mr Thomas Worlanyo Tsekpo, as its Parliamentary Candidate into the 2024 elections who had since focused his works on regaining the parliamentary seat from the NPP.
He said he would take Hohoe to the next level, where development and job creation would be priorities if voted for as the MP.
Development works of the Candidates
The two candidates have and are embarking on developmental projects in the Constituency to prove their worth for the Seat in December 2024.
Mr Amewu’s biggest achievements as seen by many will be the progressive works on the Hohoe Sports Stadium being the biggest Astroturf facility nationwide although others have raised concerns about its source of funding and timeline for its completion and the commissioning of the Santa Esther Girls Senior High School, located in Wli.
Other projects included some kilometres of asphalted roads in the Municipality, the ‘halted’ construction works on the Wli Todzi road, telecommunication network provision for the Wli enclave, some renovated school blocks, scholarship schemes and medical supplies to health facilities in the Constituency.
Mr Tsekpo on the other hand’s major development work being undertaken in the Constituency is his “Water is life” project aimed at tackling the water situations through the repairs of malfunctioned boreholes as well as drilling of new ones for communities such as Fodome, Gbi Akplamafu, Avega, Wli Todzi, Alavanyo, Wli Agorviefe and Hohoe Paloma.
He also led an initiative to face-lift the Hohoe Market abattoir, streetlights provision, inner roads reshaping, donation of motorbikes to needy groups, pad banks for schools, students’ sponsorship, apprenticeship programmes, infrastructure renovations in schools and community centres.
Regional Executives
Mr James Gunu, Volta Regional Secretary, NDC, said Mr Tsekpo was formidable in regaining the Seat from the NPP because he resonated better with the youth and made them his priority in the campaign activities, has a united and a formidable party leadership at all levels rallying behind him and pushing hard for his victory.
He said the preparations in the Constituency were apt with incredible visibility, the necessary structures were in place to ensure credible elections in the Constituency as well as campaign team being in place in different forms of approach.
All attempts via phone calls and WhatsApp messages to get a response from the Volta Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) have proved futile as at the time of filing this report.
Constituency Executives
Mr Anthony Kondobrey, Hohoe Constituency Chair, NPP told the Agency that the developmental works brought by Mr Amewu were enormous and visible for all to see.
He said the MP’s human capacity and physical developments in the Constituency made him stood tall among past MPs since 1992 adding that “the people of Hohoe have that confidence in him and will vote him into power again as the MP.”
Mr Kondobrey said the Party was expecting more votes than the ‘landslide’ victory got in the 2020 elections.
Mr Newton Darkey, Hohoe Constituency Chair, NDC, said the constituents were resolute and united with one voice adding that he believed that the structures and work being done would enable the NDC regain the seat.
He said the Party had Mr Tsekpo to the constituents very well and the Party was embarking on plans that would bring voters to vote for both the NDC presidential and parliamentary candidates on December 7, 2024.
The “neutrals”
Some voters who would put their votes on either of the candidates would however do so based on the performances of the party and not the individual candidates.
For Joyce, a trader, the economic situation over the past years would automatically determine the candidate to vote for while another voter; a civil servant said the development of sectors including education would influence the party to vote for which narrowly translates into voting for the parliamentary candidate.
2024 Parliamentary Candidates for Hohoe
After the close of filing of nomination forms on Friday, September 13, 2024, four candidates have filed including a female to contest the Hohoe Parliamentary Seat.
The additional two Candidates are Mr Stephen Dzidefo Adzraku on the ticket of the People’s National Convention (PNC) and Madam Esther Amevor on the National Democratic Party (NDP) ticket.
GNA