Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu sure of winning Suame seat

 From Sebastian R. Freiku, Kumasi

 

THE MEMBER of Parliament for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who is also the Minority Leader, believes he will win the seat he has occupied since 1996 in the December elections.

The Suame seat, since its creation has been won by the New Patriotic Party, with Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, being their Member of Parliament.

In the 2004 parliamentary elections, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu had 48,500 votes, representing 82.1% for the NPP, while Agonno Sampson Young of PNC had 934 votes, representing 1.6%.

Paul Richard Kofi Yeboah of NDC polled 8,448 (14.3%) with Frederick Antwi of CPP managing 1,157 votes representing 2.0% out of a total registered voter population of 68,499.

In 2008, the voter population increased from 68,499 to 82,758. NPP’s Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu retained the seat with 45,235 votes, representing 78.3%.

NDC’s candidate, David Osei Manu had 9,742 votes, managing 16.9%, with Democratic People’s Party’s candidate Peter Ameyaw Aboagye getting  2,409 votes representing 4.2% – while CPP’s Frederick Antwi Nsiah polled 379 votes represented by 0.7%

Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s conviction is based on his track record in efforts at assisting development and infrastructural projects especially in the areas of education.

Prior to the introduction of the Capitation Grant and School Feeding Programme, the Member of Parliament through his personal resources supported 50 pupils to the tune of GH¢10 million.

Scholarships from the MP’s share of the Common Fund since 2003 for brilliant but needy students in second cycle institutions has also assisted about 140 students amounting to GH¢40,000.

In the 2011/2012 academic year, the MP provided GH¢24, 000.00 for 40 students. 43 Undergraduates at the Universities and Polytechnics at the tertiary levels have been sponsored by the MP committing GH¢18, 000.00 for this.

Suame constituency is a cosmopolitan community with the constituents mostly traders, while a number of the youth are into artisanship employed in the Suame Magazine which is regarded as the largest industrial area in West Africa with about 200,000 artisans.

Some of the major communities within the Suame constituency are Kronum, Maakro, Bremang and Anomangye.

This year, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu contests the seat with four other contenders  from the Convention People’s Party (CPP) represented by Patrick Antwi, Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) by Solomon Appiah Kubi, National Democratic Congress (NDC) by Baba Alidu Dambasia and  Hayford Osei Bempah as an Independent candidate.

But the Minority Leader says he is firmly on the ground and would secure the seat again for the NPP in spite of stiff opposition from the other aspirants.

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