The Bantama Constituency lies at the heart of Kumasi. With a voter population of more than 77,000, the Constituency has always formed part of the formidable voting block that Ashanti has been for the NPP.
Created in its current form in 2004, the Constituency has retained only one MP, Cecilia Dapaah, twice.
Bantama Dynamics
The Constituency as it is now, was carved out of the Old Bantama Constituency which had Nhyiaeso and the likes as part. It used to be one of the largest constituencies in the Ghana, earning the nickname Bantama Florida-due to its massive contribution to the success of Candidate Kufuor in the crucial year 2000 election, just as Florida votes proved key to the electoral fortunes of Candidate Bush in the US landmark election of 2000. Of course, at the time, Dr Richard Anane was the MP before he decided to pitch camp in Nhyiaeso, when that Constituency was carved out in 2004.
Henry Kokofu took over from Cecilia Dapaah in 2012, but could not retain the seat. He lost the primary to a businessman and Chartered Public Accountant fresh from the US then, with a lot of goodies for delegates and even cars on hire purchase for some of them at knockdown rates.
Obviously, Kokofu could not keep up and had to bow out. In came, Okyem Aboagye (now late) who took to his parliamentary duties with the hope of breaking one term jinx. His quest to do that will be ill-fated. For a competitor for the seat at the primary, he faced Francis Asenso-Boakye, then Deputy Chief of State and long-time Political Aide of Nana Akufo-Addo from his heady days in opposition and In government.
Asenso is credited for founding the NPP’s tertiary institutional wing, TESCON in his student days and had attempted to contest the Bantama seat in 2004 but was prevailed upon to allow a senior figure in Cecilia Dapaah to run. Asenso’s political machine was well oiled on all fronts, replete with a massive endorsement from the President.
His campaign manager was Henry Kokofu, the man who was ousted the term prior. Okyem Aboagye will not take a defeat lying down and played the game till the very end, including kneeling publicly before the Ashanti Regional Chairman Wontumi to seek protection to run a successful second term, bid but did not yield the desired fruits. Okyem Aboagye lost and in came Asenso-Boakye.
The Smell of Hostility
With his clout in government, occupying the cabinet portfolio of Works and Housing and his record as MP, Incumbent Francis Asenso-Boakye expected to equal the record of Cecilia Dapaah. He is not reputed to be the most eloquent politician but beneath his dour demeanor is a sharp political mind, but this contest will by no means stretch his abilities.
Fully geared up to thwart his effort as a second term MP is Ralph Agyapong, Younger Brother of Maverick politician Kennedy Agyapong who placed second in the NPP Flagbearership race. Ralph Agyapong is a lawyer who plies his trade in the chambers of famed land law attorney, Kwame Gyan.
He has largely stayed in the political shadows of his controversial elder brother, but this time he wants to step up to the plate at least to keep the Agyapong family name on the parliamentary roll as Kennedy himself exits after 24 years in the ‘People’s House.’
From all indications, Asenso is feeling the heat. He publicly made it known, that Ralph should be disqualified because he had not nurtured the Constituency and he was not known for engaging in party activities. He called out the NPP General Secretary, Justin Kodua for not disqualifying Ralph for the stated reasons.
Having scaled the hurdle of the vetting, now Ralph and his team led by Kennedy Agyapong have turned the heat on Asenso. Kennedy went ballistic earlier this week. Hear him ‘If you make a mistake and vote for Asenso, you will all bear witness to the revelations, I will unveil. It is a condition. If you don’t want me to talk, vote against him. If you want me to talk, vote for him because we will not allow them to destroy Ghana’
The battle lines have been drawn between Asenso Boakye and Ralph Agyapong. Some have tagged the contest as The Presidency V Kennedy Agyapong. The delegates will decide who leads the Constituency into the December 7 polls on January 27 during the primaries. But surely, for watchers, this is vintage Bantama, staying true to character in a Constituency where securing the NPP ticket is equivalent to a seat in parliament.