Mass survey: Energy Minister to Cause Havoc in Hohoe

Over Asiedu Nketia’s ‘bogus no go area comment’, Proxies also claim MCE working against Peter Amewu’s bid

Before elections are held across the world, many institutions including media houses release surveys and results of critical opinion samples in form of predictions all in a bid to tell of how the polls may go.

Here in Africa and particularly Ghana, many organizations have put across the same with major political parties in either agreement or disagreement depending on who it favours.

On the 7^th of December 2020, Ghanaians would go to the polls to elect a President for another four-year term and also chose various Members of Parliament for their Constituencies. There are therefore some very critical constituencies across the country where The New Independent Newspaper and ghananewsonline.com.gh have decided to sample views of electorates. These two giant media outlets therefore after the sampling of views, decided to put the result for all to see so that the political parties would fire in on all cylinders in their own interest.

First amongst these constituencies whose opinion poll is being put out is the Hohoe Constituency of the Volta Region.

In the interest of objectivity and fairness including good understanding, this collaborative effort engaged the mass survey type of sampling where our team interviewed a large number of the population to seek their views on the ensuing elections.

Our team visited Wli Traditional Area, Alavanyo Traditional Area, Gbi Traditional Area, and Gbledi Traditional area all in the constituency.

Undoubtedly this collaborative mass survey draws credibility in the sense that, major stages that are professionally parts of credible surveys were engaged. Proper planning, pretesting, final survey design, data collection, analyses or coding, and final compilation were all engaged.

Proxies whose views were sampled include traditional leaders, Transport organization representatives, and in some cases a sizeable amount of their members, okada riders, Dressmakers associations, woodworkers Unions, Farmer groups students, the working class and the unemployed including some other very important groups.

The questionnaire was focused on development issues including employment issues, roads, and provision of potable water, provision of street lights, education, sports development, and respect for the electorates.

Entirely 70% of persons who were interviewed claimed that they shall vote skirt and blows. Peter Amewu and Professor Margarete Kwaku are vying to become Members of Parliament for the Hohoe constituency. Both were Municipal Chief Executives for Hohoe.

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From all indications based on the sample result, John Dramani Mahama would win in Hohoe constituency in the December polls however, in the case of the Parliamentary election, John Peter Amewu may pick up that seat for the New Patriotic Party.

While serving as Chief Executive for Hohoe between 2001 and 2009, Mr. Peter Amewu contested to become MP on the ticket of the NPP in 2004 and 2008 he, however, lost in those two attempts. In 2004, he polled 9,061 representing 20.1% of total votes cast. This happened against the late Jacob Hayibor of the National Democratic Congress. Jacob Hayibor won the seat at the time with 36,400 representing 76.8% of the votes. In 2008, Energy Minister John Peter Amewu increased the stake of the New Patriotic Party in the Hohoe constituency marginally in percentage, recording 21.5% (8,224) and late Jacob Hayigbor again winning with 28,168 (73.5%). From the election results of 2012 and 2016, one could easily say that John Peter Amewu performed better for the NPP in the Hohoe constituency than any other candidate.

Coming back to the reality on the ground, answers from electorates point to the fact that, the New Patriotic Party government sent many development projects to the constituency than any other government. The Hohoe township roads, the road from Hohoe through Fodome to Wli have been fantastically constructed with the ‘almighty’ road to Wli Todzi also under construction.

They talked about the provision of street lights on major streets in the whole of the constituency, how employment has been created for the youth, credit for traders, and other groups of people without interest as moves by John Peter Amewu. They say these, would inform their voting pattern in December.

Extension of electricity to every corner of the Hohoe constituency, payment of bills for over five hundred (500) SHS graduates whose results were blocked by their various schools due to their inability to pay school fees, Construction of a mini-hydro facility in Alavanyo Abehenease to generate hydroelectricity for Hohoe and its environs are activities that the people spoke about to our team.

In fact, what has created a huge problem for the National Democratic Congress in that constituency is the recent utterances by General Secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketiah. Mr. Nketiah recently warned the New Patriotic to stay off the Hohoe constituency seat because it’s a no go area for that party. This got the constituents very angry and they, therefore, have vowed to ‘teach the NDC a bitter lesson’ by voting against its Parliamentary Candidate. They claim the NDC’s Chief Scribe disrespected them with that language.

Our analyses show that John Peter Amewu will win the Hohoe constituency seat with a slim margin; a little of a 3% difference according to the mass survey.

It is important for us to reveal that there is only one factor that is working against John Peter Amewu on the ground. What we have established is the ‘fight for Supremacy’ being engaged by the Municipal Chief Executive Andrews Teddy Ofori.

Many of the proxies claimed the move by the MCE is an open secret and are calling on the President to open an investigation into his activities. What is real is that the MCE according to the proxies has been saying it was improper for John Peter Amewu to claim ownership of all government projects in the constituency because he wants to become an MP. What we have understood is that the MCE wants some credit to be given to him and his Assembly. Many party folks exposed that, ‘the MCE in a way has distanced himself from Mr. Amewu’s campaign activities’ they alleged. They see this to be sabotage; in extension on the President.

The National Democratic Congress, therefore, must up its game if indeed it wants to sustain the Hohoe Parliamentary seat since some key persons who worked for the NDC in 2016 have now joined John Peter Amewu’s campaign team

We shall put out results covering, Afadjato South, North Dayi, and the Adaklu Constituencies in the coming days.

Compiled by Kofi Adzivor with Additional files from Paa Kwesi Edwin, Accra Ghana