Afram Plains North residents threaten skirt and blouse vote in 2024 elections

Road infrastructure and the lack of developmental projects are key issues likely to influence voter choices in the Afram Plains North Constituency in the upcoming elections.

Residents express frustration over decades of neglect by successive governments, which they say has made life challenging.

First-time voters in the constituency are particularly wary of broken promises from political parties and their flagbearers, emphasizing their desire for real change.

There is a growing sentiment among residents that could lead to “skirt and blouse” voting—a split vote between parliamentary and presidential candidates.

Accessing Donkorkrom, the district capital, remains arduous. Travellers must cross the Volta Lake from Adawso to Ekye Amanfrom before enduring hours of bumpy, pothole-ridden, dusty roads.

Despite Afram Plains North’s status as a key agricultural hub feeding the nation, farmers, traders, and drivers face immense challenges in transporting affordable food items to market centres. These hurdles often result in tripled food prices, frustrating residents and drivers alike.

Historically, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has held Afram Plains North as a stronghold, consistently securing its parliamentary seat. However, discontent over unmet infrastructure needs could shift the electoral dynamic in this year’s polls.

In 2016 the NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo had 18.8 per cent of the total votes as against 79.2 per cent by the NDC’s John Mahama for the presidential.

In 2020 Nana Addo had 5,166 representing 18.85 percent of the total votes while his opponent John Dramani Mahama got 21,793 representing 79.50 percent.

For the parliamentary in 2020, Isaac Ofori Koree of the NPP had 8,605 representing 31.47 per cent of the votes while the incumbent MP Betty Mensah Krosby had 18,543 representing 67.82 per cent of the total votes to be retained for a second term.

This year, the incumbent MP Betty Mensah Krosby who is seeking a third term in Parliament comes up against the NPP’s Asiamah Anim, Agbakpe Hillary of the NDP and Worlase Kpeli an independent candidate who is proving to be the biggest threat to the MP.

The emergence of the independent candidate Kpeli Worlase an NDC member who was suspiciously disqualified during the party’s primaries is still proving to be a headache for the MP.

Kpeli Worlase a 3-time parliamentary aspirant has declined pleas from the party’s leadership to rescind his decision to run as an independent candidate.

For NPP supporters in Afram Plains, this is their time to win the seat.

The news team then moved to Amankwa Tornu another hard-to-reach area from the district capital Donkorkrom to engage residents and first-time voters about their major challenges and what will be the driving force behind their voter decisions during the elections.

For first-time voters, they only pray that they don’t get disappointed with failed promises.

#GhanaPolls2024
#ElectionBureau
#CitiVerify

Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!

Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x

No spam, just the stories that truly matter! #StayInformed #CitiNewsroom #CNRDigital