Former parliamentary candidate Rex Asanga says voting patterns in the Bolgatanga Central constituency are largely driven by party loyalty rather than the quality of candidates, following his two unsuccessful bids on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party.
Speaking on Dreamz FM’s “State of Our Nation” program, Mr Asanga, who contested in 2016 and 2020, said his improved performance in 2020 was due to increased visibility and grassroots engagement, but not enough to overcome entrenched party preferences.
“I had become almost a household name,” he said, citing his work in the NGO and church sectors. “But in our constituency, people tend to vote for the party and not necessarily the quality of the candidate.”
Official results from the 2020 election showed National Democratic Congress candidate Isaac Adongo winning with 34,157 votes, or 64.49%, while Mr Asanga secured 18,456 votes, or 34.85%. Asanga, however, claimed his internal tally suggested he received more than 20,000 votes but chose not to challenge the results in court.
Despite improving his vote count between elections, Mr Asanga said he decided not to run in 2024 to allow “fresh blood” and new political dynamics to emerge.
“If I had closed the gap significantly, I would have considered contesting again,” he said. “But looking at the structure of the constituency, I thought it was time to step aside.”
He also cited his role as a municipal chief executive as a factor, saying combining governance responsibilities with campaigning would have been difficult.
Mr Asanga acknowledged that not holding a government appointment after the 2016 election may have affected his ability to maintain influence and resources ahead of the 2020 contest.
“In many constituencies, candidates who are appointed to positions are able to stay connected and mobilize resources,” he said. “That did not happen in my case.”
Still, he expressed confidence in the party’s future, emphasizing the need to better understand voter behavior in the constituency.
