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Over the years, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has enjoyed dominance and popularity in the Ahafo Region.
The region, with six constituencies, had been considered a “sacred” area for the ruling NPP.
The NPP continued to win general elections during the Fourth Republic, apart from the 1992 parliamentary election,which it boycotted because the results of the presidential election,
held earlier, were rejected.
It clearly shows that even before the region was created out of the erstwhile Brong Ahafo Region in 2019, the NPP dominated the area.
Before the December 7,2024 polls, the NPP occupied four out of six seats, while the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had only two seats.
The NPP seats are Tano North, Tano South, Asutifi North and Asunafo North, while the NDC's seats are Asutifi South and Asunafo South occupied by the NDC stalwarts Alhaji Collins Dauda
and Eric Opoku respectively.
The two candidates have also dominated the politics in the two constituencies during the Fourth Republic.
That not with standing, the region has been a stronghold of the ruling NPP since 1992.
Breaking of dominance
However, in the just-ended 2024 general election, the NDC managed to break the NPP's jinx and popularity in the region.
In the election, the party snatched additional three seats from the NPP to increase its seats from two to five.
Apart from Tano North,which was won by the NPP's new entrant, Gideon Boako,the NDC won the rest of the seats.
Dr Boako, who is the Spokesperson to the Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, obtained 21,127 votes representing 54.32 per cent to beat the NDC candidate, Pius Sampson Opoku,
who had 17,777 votes, representing 45.69 per cent.
Other constituencies
In Tano South,the incumbent NPP MP, Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere, lost his seat to Charles Asiedu, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate.
Mr Asiedu, son of the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah secured 20,056 votes, representing 51.27 per cent to beat Mr Sekyere, who is the Deputy Minister for the
Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection after he obtained 18,697 votes, representing 48.73 percent.
In Asunafo North,the NPP MP, who doubles as the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Evans Opoku-Bobie, also lost the battle, which was between him and Mohammed Haruna of the NDC.
In the process, Haruna polled 34,080 votes, representing 57.59 per cent to unseat Mr Opoku-Bobie, who garnered 25,101 votes, representing 42.41 percent.
In Asutifi North, the incumbent NPP MP, Patrick Banor, who obtained 14,207 votes, representing 43.33 per cent was defeated in the contest, as his sole contender, Dr Ebenezer Kwaku Addo of the NDC had 18,584 votes representing 56.67 percent.
Before the December 7,2024 polls,all eyes were on the Asutifi South and Asunafo South occupied by NDC Alhaji Collins Dauda and Mr Eric Opoku respectively.
Many thought the NDC candidates Mr Opoku and Alhaji Dauda would be defeated, but that was not the case as they retained their seats.
In the Asunafo South, Mr Opoku retained his seat when he polled 24,059 votes, representing 57.00 per cent, while the NPP candidate, Frank Aduse Poku had 18,151
votes, representing 43.00 percent.
Similarly, Alhaji Dauda retained his seat in the Asutifi South when he obtained 20,002 votes, representing 55.42 per cent to blow off the challenge of the NPP's Yaw Owusu Brempong who had 16,092 votes, representing 44.58 percent.
The defeat was not only limited to the NPP MPs and candidates.
The Presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was heavily defeated in the region considered to be a party stronghold.
In all, the President, John Dramani Mahama obtained 130,106 votes to beat
Dr Bawumia, who had 113,851 votes.
Apart from the Tano North Constituency, where Dr Bawumia won, Mr Mahama won the rest of the five constituencies.
Breaking it down, in Tano North, Dr Bawumia obtained 19,738 votes to beat Mr Mahama, who had 17,952 votes.
In Tano South, Mr Mahama got 19,331 votes, while Dr Bawumia had 19,080 votes.
In Asunafo North, Mr Mahama obtained 30,561 votes and Dr Bawumia 26,932 votes.
In Asunafo South, Mr Mahama garnered 24,373 votes as against Dr Bawumia's 18,695 votes.
In Asutifi North, Mr Mahama again won by polling 16,912 votes while Dr Bawumia obtained 14,888 votes.
The story was not different at Asutifi South where Mr Mahama had 20,808 votes as against Dr Bawumia's 14,518 votes.
