The Bolgatanga Central Constituency Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Abagna, has called on the party to maintain consistency in selecting parliamentary candidates for the constituency.
Popularly known as “Abaska,” Mr. Abagna believes that the frequent change of candidates in Bolgatanga Central has negatively affected the party’s performance over the years. He argued that stability in candidate selection is key to improving the NPP’s electoral fortunes in the constituency.
Reviewing the party’s performance since 2000, Mr. Abagna noted that under Agasika Aganbila, the NPP increased its votes from about 5,000 in 2000 to 8,000 in 2004. However, the party experienced a significant drop in 2008 following a change in candidate.
According to him, when Dr. Aganbila returned as the party’s candidate in 2012, the party’s votes rose to over 12,000, demonstrating the impact of consistency.He was, however, replaced again in 2016. Despite the change, the party’s candidate, Rex Asanga, improved the vote tally, highlighting his strong appeal in the constituency.
Rex Asanga further increased the party’s votes in 2020 but did not contest the 2024 elections. This paved the way for a new candidate, Louis Figo Awonekai, whose performance saw a decline in votes.
Based on this trend, Mr. Abagna is urging the NPP to adopt a more consistent approach in presenting candidates for parliamentary elections in Bolgatanga Central.
He expressed confidence that such consistency could help the party win the seat.
“When Dr. Aganbila came, he took the party to about 5000, he had close to 8,000 in 2004 and we changed him in 2008 and brought in Madam Alima and we dropped votes. In 2012 we brought back and he improved our votes by increasing from 10,000 to 12,000. You see, in politics, it is all about consistency. If we had maintained Dr. Aganbila, he could have won us the seat. I am saying this because as politicians, we need to be consistent in what we do. We need to learn from some of these things.” He said.
Explaining the party’s loss in the 2024 elections despite presenting a youthful candidate and being in government, Mr. Abagna attributed the defeat partly to national-level factors. He cited issues such as rising fuel prices shortly before the general elections as contributing to the party’s poor performance.
“In 2024, I will say it was the whole Ghana that was fighting the NPP. Because where ever we go, people were complaining that things were going high. Three weeks to elections, they were still increasing and people were not happy. So, if you look at how we lost many seats, it tells you that it was not Bolga Central alone and we have to learn from some of these things.” He noted
