VOTING UNDERWAY IN 12 CONSTITUENCIES IN ASHANTI

Voting is underway in Constituencies in the Ashanti region where the NDC’s Parliamentary and Presidential elections could not take place yesterday.

 A total of 12 of the 47 Constituencies in the region could not hold their elections yesterday for various reasons. 

The affected Constituencies are Subin, Manhyia South and North and Bosomtwe. 

The others are Atwima Nwabiagya North, Asante Akyem North, Ahafo Ano North and Sekyere Afram Plains. Obuasi East, Ejura, New Edubiase and Ejisu Constituencies could also not hold their elections. 

According to the Ashanti Regional Directorate of the Electoral Commission, two problems that ran through almost all those Constituencies was the shortfall in the number of ballot papers for both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections and the late supply of the voting materials.

 For instance, in the New Edubiase Constituency, there was a shortfall of more than four thousand ballot papers for the Parliamentary elections while in Ejisu, nearly two thousand ballot papers more were needed for the Presidential elections.

 In some of the Constituencies too, the polls had to be pushed to today due to the late supply of the voting materials. 

However, a Deputy Regional Director of the EC, Lawrence Sarpong told Ashanti Today that the officials were compelled to reschedule voting in the Ejura Constituency after violence broke out resulting in the destruction of some of the ballot boxes by impatient voters. 

According to the Deputy E C Regional Director, the voters who had long waited for the exercise to take place following delays in the supply of the necessary materials, did not understand why voting should further delay after the logistics had been delivered and therefore resorted to vandalism. 

Police personnel had to intervene to restore normalcy after which the elections were postponed to today. No arrest has however been made. 

Meanwhile, voting began early this morning in the affected Constituencies. 

The election officials confirmed that they have enough of the voting materials for a successful polls today. 

The EC received additional materials late yesterday for distribution to the concerned constituencies.

In a related development, the Ashanti Regional Youth Organizer of the party, Ernest Brogya Genfi has defeated his only contender, Francis Dodovi, a Journalist and a Communicator of the party to win the Suame slot.

 Brogya Genfi will now face the Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu for the Suame seat in next year's Parliamentary elections.

 Observers have predicted that even though the Minority Leader will retain the seat for the NPP, Brogya Genfi, affectionately called Amani, can significantly increase the votes tally of the NDC based on his popularity in that Constituency. 

Amani is one of the children of the late 'Hat Man', Nana Kofi Genfi proprietor of the Nnurom Hotel. 

One of his brothers, Home Boy, was among the three persons who contested Mr. Kyei Mensah Bonsu in the NPP's primaries in July this year.  

Also, the DCE for Atwima Nwabiagya, popularly known as Obaba also made light work of his only contender to become the NDC's Parliamentary candidate for the Atwima Nwabiagya East.

One Chris Boadi Mensah also defeated the popular 'Tweaa DCE', Gabriel Barima for the Ahafo Ano South East Constituency.

In the Juaben Constituency, Nana Kwasi Prempeh also beat the Deputy Ashanti Regional Communication Officer, Solomon Anane.

Former Ashanti and Central Regional Minister and now Managing Director of the Ste Housing Company, Dr. Samuel Sarpong also shrugged off the bluff of his only challenger, Yaw Ntem Afriyie for the Nhyiaeso Constituency.