Accra: One of the constituencies drawing significant attention in the upcoming December 7 general elections is the Okaikwei-North constituency in the Greater Accra Region. Here, two incumbent women MPs from the major political parties are competing for a seat in parliament.
According to Ghana News Agency, Madam Theresa Lardi Awuni, the current Member of Parliament from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is seeking re-election. She faces competition from Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, a two-time MP who has switched from Akuapem-Akropong to contest under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) banner for Okaikwei-North.
Both candidates were among the 40 women who entered parliament in 2020 and are part of the 29 women who secured their parties’ nominations for another election. Historically, the NPP has dominated Okaikwei-North, winning most elections since 1996, except in 2004 and 2020 when the NDC broke their streak.
In the 2020 elections, Theresa Awuni, an alumna of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public
Administration and a former Principal Disaster Control Officer at NADMO, secured the seat by polling 29,281 votes, representing 51% of the total valid votes. She became the second female MP for the area after Madam Elizabeth Sackey of the NPP.
Nana Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, the NPP candidate, is the current MP for Akuapem-Akropong and a former Deputy Minister for Information. She recently won the NPP primaries in Okaikwei-North, defeating a former MP and the Deputy CEO of MASLOC, which was unexpected by many. Asiamah-Adjei entered Parliament in 2017 and was re-elected in 2020 with over 26,000 votes each time.
Meanwhile, Samuel Awuku, former NPP National Organiser and Director-General of the National Lotteries Authority, is set to replace Asiamah-Adjei as the NPP candidate in Akuapem-Akropong for the 2024 elections.
The key question is whether Theresa Awuni can retain the seat for the NDC or if Nana Dokua will reclaim it for the NPP. Regardless of the outcome, the Okaikwei-North constituency will continue to hav
e female representation in parliament, a significant step for women’s participation in governance.