The New Patriotic Party (NPP) having conducted parliamentary primaries in orphan constituencies, will be holding another round of primaries to elect parliamentary candidates in some 137 constituencies where it has serving parliamentarians.
Ahead of the primaries to be held in January 2024, the party has opened nominations and by virtue of their public declarations and decision not to pick up nomination forms, a number of sitting MPs have confirmed the ‘end’ of their parliamentary careers.
Below are five long-serving NPP MPs who will not be contesting in the upcoming primaries:
Daniel Kwaku Botwe
Daniel Kwaku Botwe has been a Member of Parliament representing the people of Okere Constituency since January 2009 following his first election in December 2008.
He has since won the seat on four occasions bringing his total tenure to 16 years by the end of his current tenure in December 2024.
Dan Botwe is currently the Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralisation and has previously held different ministerial portfolios including Minister for Information under the administration of John Agyekum Kufuor.
Dan Botwe has officially announced his decision not to seek re-election citing personal reasons.
Joseph Osei-Owusu
Popularly referred to as Joe Wise, Joseph Osei-Owusu is a fourth term Member of Parliament for the people of Bekwai Constituency.
Mr Osei-Owusu who is a trained lawyer who was called to the Bar in 1990.
He won his first term in 2008 by securing 86.06% of votes in the parliamentary election.
He is currently the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and previously served as Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) under the John Agyekum Kufuor administration.
Joe Wise, prior to the NPP primaries had confirmed his decision to bow out of parliament at the end of his current tenure.
Samuel Atta Akyea
Samuel Atta Akyea who is part of the 2009 class of parliamentarians was the second NPP MP to represent the people of Abuakwa South Constituency after Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo since the beginning of Ghana’s Fourth Republic in 1992.
An astute lawyer with several years of practice experience, Atta Akyea has served on various parliamentary committees including the Legislation Committee.
He also served as Minister for Works and Housing in the first term of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Atta Akyea has declared his intention not to seek re-election.
Kennedy Ohene Agyapong
Kennedy Agyapong at the end of his current parliamentary tenure would have spent a total of 24 years in the legislative house making him one of the longest serving MPs in the history of the New Patriotic Party.
The businessman and media mogul was first elected to parliament in 2000 as representative of the people of Assin South.
He retained the seat until 2012 when he was elected MP for Assin Central following a split of the Assin North Constituency.
He has since been the MP for Assin Central and is currently the Chairman of the Parliament's Defense and Interior Committee.
Kennedy Agyapong contested and put up an impressive performance in the NPP’s presidential primary of 2023 but lost to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
He had previously announced his decision not to seek parliamentary re-election.
He has recently been emphasising his focus on his presidential ambition and is tipped to contest the party’s flagbearership again in the future.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu entered Ghana’s parliament in the second term of the Fourth Republic in 1997.
28 years of parliamentary service by the time he bows out, makes him the longest serving parliamentarian in the history of Ghana.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu since his first election as representative of Suame Constituency has maintained the seat in seven consecutive elections.
He has however announced his decision not to seek re-election this time round.
Credit: ghanaweb.com