An ardent political observer, Francis Mensah, has asserted that the jaw-dropping results of the parliamentary elections in the just-concluded general elections in the five constituencies of Greater Sekondi-Takoradi, which nonetheless saw the New Patriotic Party’s candidate, Lawyer Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, escape defeat by a whisker, only meant he won largely because of the towering legacy of Member of Parliament Joseph Cudjoe.
Residents have, for each election cycle, received news of the New Patriotic Party annexing parliamentary seats without batting an eye. However, 2024 proved different by giving the bookmakers little luck in envisaging or betting on such a sweeping victory for the opposition National Democratic Congress.
Francis Mensah, who has been following political events in Sekondi-Takoradi with a special focus on Effia, in an op-ed on the constituency’s parliamentary election and subsequent outcome, argued that the embattled Member of Parliament-elect, Lawyer Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, owes his electoral success largely to a “strong foundation” created by Member of Parliament, Joseph Cudjoe.
“In the last six years, Effia has witnessed significant development in various forms, be it human or infrastructure development, as well as targeted community interventions. So you will realise that Joseph Cudjoe endeared himself to the constituency well, thereby portraying the New Patriotic Party as a development-oriented, result-oriented, and problem-solving party,” Mensah noted.
He referenced the results of the exit poll on the 2024 elections by Mussa Dankwah and questioned what alternatives Lawyer Isaac Boamah-Nyarko presented to the electorate if not what Joseph Cudjoe had, over the years, done for the people.
“If you look at the results of the exit poll by Mussa Dankwah, a staggering 67 percent of respondents said they decided to vote for the party they voted for a year or more ago. At that period, Joseph Cudjoe was commissioning water projects in water-stressed areas of Windy Ridge and its environs, was doing asphalt overlay, the Effia League, offering scholarships, among others. Lawyer Isaac Boamah-Nyarko was nowhere. So, clearly, he should be thankful to Joseph Cudjoe and the work he did,” Mensah said.
Effia has recorded, never-seen-before, horrific scenes after results were declared in favour of Lawyer Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, purportedly orchestrated by supporters of the National Democratic Congress’ parliamentary candidate, Abdul Majeed Iddrisu Nasam Dokurigu, as he insists there has been a stolen verdict. Mr Mensah blames NPP delegates in Effia for the current goings-on.
“A good, kind, and well-resourced man like Hon. Joseph Cudjoe was a very popular MP in Effia Constituency. Effia people went for one day’s money and voted against this good man…”
He argued that had the Effia delegates not “chosen money” but familiarised themselves with the electoral success of the NPP with Joseph Cudjoe as the Member of Parliament since 2012, Effia would not have been in the news for the “wrong reasons,” as is the case now.
“In 2012, while in opposition, Joseph Cudjoe won the Effia seat with 19,863 votes, representing 58.19 percent, while the NDC’s Mohammed Barkwa Ali got 14,269 votes, representing 41.81 percent.
The vote difference was close to 6,000. In 2016, while still in opposition, Joseph Cudjoe not only retained the seat but increased his votes and garnered 20,315, representing 62.28 percent, with the NDC’s new candidate Michael Otoo dropping the party’s votes from 2012, when he had 11,995, representing 36.77 percent.
In 2020, Joseph Cudjoe secured a triple when he won the seat with 19,476 votes, representing 59.18 percent. Michael Otoo of the NDC had 13,433 votes, representing 40.82 percent, with a vote difference of 6,043,” he explained.
He mentioned that even though the National Democratic Congress changed candidates twice, that did not affect the electoral fortunes of Joseph Cudjoe.
“Unfortunately, when the NPP failed to stick to a winning candidate but decided to follow the money, gambled and experimented, it proved costly, as the 2024 figures show. The new candidate that the NPP presented, Lawyer Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, won with 15,870 votes, representing 53.3 percent, while the NDC party, also with a new candidate, had 13,892 votes, representing 46.7 percent.”
“If you look at the figures, you will realise that over 6,000 people who voted for the NPP in 2016 and 2020 failed to vote. This only means the NPP delegates failed to consider who would best help them win the seat, a candidate who is both popular within the party and also with the general Effia populace, and Lawyer Boamah does not make that cut.”
When this reporter contacted Joseph Cudjoe after the result was declared, he expressed joy that, despite the tsunami in Sekondi-Takoradi, the people of Effia “still chose the NPP and its candidate.”
He would not be drawn into any comparisons, stressing that “the election is over… Let us all rally together, strive, and continue working for the good of Effia.”
Source:
3news.com
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