NDC Akwatia Constituency Needs United Front To Retain The Seat In 2024 General Elections--Alliance4change
He, therefore, urged the few disgruntled members and supporters of the party to bury their differences and join forces with the constituency executives to work hard to retain the Akwatia constituency parliamentary seat for the NDC.
Freeman Koryekpor 
The Press Secretary of the Alliance4change, Owusu Berima ,has called for a united front to retain Akwatia Constituency parliamentary seat for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the general elections 2024.
He said political character assassination, sabotaging, and backbiting is not in the interest of the party.
He, therefore, urged the few disgruntled members and supporters of the party to bury their differences and join forces with the constituency executives to work hard to retain the Akwatia constituency parliamentary seat for the NDC.
Mr Berima on behalf of the Alliance4change maintains that, to ensure a united front for the NDC in Akwatia, internal parliamentary elections must be done to uphold the principles and doctrines of democracy of the people if not the NDC will end up losing the parliamentary seat because of voter apathy.
This was contained in the news item written by Mr Berima which was captured by the Soireenews.com.
Below is the statement
Akwatia constituency is located in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Originally, it was formerly part of the then-larger Kwaebibirem District in 1988, which was created from the former West Akim District Council. However, on 6 February 2012 (effectively 28 June 2012), the southern part of the district was split off to create Denkyembour District; thus the remaining part has been retained as Kwaebibirem District, which was elevated to municipal assembly status on 15th March 2018 to become Kwaebibirem Municipal Assembly.
Akwatia constituency covers an estimated land area of 430 square kilometres.
The constituency shares boundaries with Kwaebibirem constituency and Akyemansa constituency to the north, West Akim constituency to the south and Birim Central Municipality to the south-west.
The population of the District according to the 2021 population and housing census stands at *77,029* with 37,866 males and 39,163 females. Out of this, about 38,453 are considered to be in the political voting bracket.
Akwatia is mainly known for it extractive rich resources such as diamond and gold. Most of the indigenes are miners. Prestigious institutions such as St Dominic Hospital and St. Roses Snr High School are located in this constituency. Traditionally, it is under the jurisdiction of the Ofori Paying Stool
Politically, It has been one of the most controversial constituencies in the country.
In the 1992 general elections, the NDC presidential candidate Flt Lt JJ Rawlings won the presidential elections to defeat Prof. Adu Boahene of the NPP. In the parliamentary race, The NDC candidate, Hon. Gilbert Kwasi Agyei won the elections unopposed as a result of the NPP pulling out of the parliamentary elections.
In the 1996 general elections, the NDC won both the Presidential and Parliamentary races with a vote tally of 19,114(56.31%) and 22,140(52.9%). Hon. Mohammed Siam retrained the seat for the NDC to defeat Mr. Francis Agyare-Bray of the NPP. The main opposition party that's the NPP managed 14,300(42.13%) in the presidential race and 12,815(30.6%) in the parliamentary battle.
The NDC lost the parliamentary seat to the NPP in the 2000 elections as Baba Jamal Mohammed's 12,069(42.8%) wasn't enough to beat the NPP's Kingston Akomeah Kissi who amassed 13,805(48.9%). The Presidential election run off saw the NPP, John Agyekum Kufour polled 15,429(58.01%) whiles the NDC, John Evans Atta-Mills obtained 11,216(41.99%).
The NPP's John Agyekum Kufour, won the Presidential election of 2004 in the constituency as they got 20,872(55.88%) votes to defeat the NDC's John Evans Atta-Mills who got 16,201(43.37%).
In the Parliamentary race, Kingston Akomeng Kissi retained the seat for the NPP with a tally of 19,386(52.2%) votes as against the NDC's Baba Jamal Mohammed who fell short with only 17,484(47.1%).
The NPP's presidential candidate, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, made a third consecutive presidential election win in 2008 as their vote tally of 17,831(56.71%) in the first round increased to 19,398(54.54%) in the run-off as the NDC's John Evans Atta-Mills got 13,351(42.47) in the first round and 16,170(45.46%) in the run-off election.
The 2008 parliamentary elections in Akwatia witnessed one of the most fierce and controversial contests in the history of Akwatia constituency, with wild allegations of electoral fraud and violence clashes. After a rerun in 6 polling stations out of the rest on 18 August 2009, the NPP parliamentary candidate, Kofi Asare, was declared the winner after polling 17,900() as against NDC's Baba Jamal who was third time unlucky polling 15,860 valid votes.
The NPP maintained their winning run in Presidential elections in the constituency in 2012 as they polled a vote tally of 20,678(51.61%) as the NDC's, John Dramani Mahama could only manage 19,118(47.72%). Baba Jamal Mohammed of the NDC became a fourth time lucky in the parliamentary contest as his vote tally of 20,471(50.44) was marginally enough to defeat the NPP's Kofi Asare who got 19,914(49.07%). Baba Jamal won this elections as a result of handwork, united front in his base, electorates sympathy and to forestall developmental project by the NPP candidate.
In the 2016 general elections, the NPP's Nana Addo Danquah Akufo won yet another presidential election in the constituency as they polled 21,435(56.93%) votes to edge pass the NDC's, John Dramani Mahama, who obtained 15,925(42.29%). Mercy Adu Gyamfi regained the parliamentary seat for the NPP as she obtained 21,433(57.21%) votes to unseat the then incumbent, Baba Jamal Mohammed of the NDC who got only 15,905(42.45%) votes.
The 2020 general elections saw the NPP win the presidential race with 21,758(56.91%) votes as against the NDC's tally of 16,181(42.32%).
The later i.e NDC regained the parliamentary seat as their candidate Henry Yiadom Boakye amassed 19,899(51.5%) votes to defeat Ernest Kumi of the NPP who managed to poll 18,742(48.5%) votes.
As another general elections' pharos in 2024, the NDC as well as the NPP is yet to elect it parliamentary candidate in this Constituency for this next year's parliamentary elections.
However, there is a growing tension in the camp of the NDC as there is a wide division and cracks at the base of the party in the Constituency.
As staunch NDC member who spoke to constituency watch in camera asserted that, if internal elections are not organized among the two leading candidates, incumbent Hon. Henry Yiadom aka Okoyo and Hon. Erasmus Ali Koney popularly as Asanka Poyooyo, who has served as a 4 time Assembly member for His electoral area and a honourable Presiding Member of the Dekyembour District Assembly, to elect the party's parliamentary candidate in the Constituency, the NDC will end up losing the parliamentary elections in Akwatia because of deep shaft internal wrangling in the camp of the NDC to impose Hon. Henry Yiadom as the party's parliamentary candidate.
