Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso East, Baba Ali Yussif, says the party’s inability to retain the same candidate across successive elections has hurt its chances in the constituency, especially in by‑elections.
Speaking on the Rainbow Radio weekend show, Baba Ali argued that since 1992 the party has “failed most of the times to repeat a candidate for election” in Ayawaso East, creating confusion among voters and weakening the party’s ground game.
He added that internal divisions within the NPP were a key factor in the party’s defeat in the last by‑election in the seat, implying that disunity among supporters and organisers undermined their campaign.
Ayawaso East has been a politically competitive constituency in Accra, with the NDC and NPP vying closely in recent cycles.
Historical results show the seat was won unopposed by the NDC’s Gilbert Kwasi Agyei in 1992 after an NPP boycott, highlighting how internal party decisions have long shaped outcomes there.
In the broader 2024 presidential race, Ayawaso East was among several Muslim‑dominated constituencies that reportedly voted heavily for President John Dramani Mahama over NPP flagbearer Mahamudu Bawumia, according to NPP leader Mustapha Abdul‑Hamid, underscoring the complex religious and local dynamics the party must navigate.
By: Onokwafo Yaw Asiedu/Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
