The Agona West constituency has experienced a major upset in the recent NPP parliamentary primaries as the incumbent Member of Parliament, Cynthia Mamle Morrison, was defeated by Chris Arthur. Arthur garnered 240 votes while Morrison managed to secure only 152 votes, leading to her loss in the bid to represent the party.
The parliamentary primary, initially scheduled for January 27, was postponed due to an injunction application filed by aspirant Joseph Afankwa, who had been disqualified. After a legal battle lasting three to four months, the party finally set April 13 as the new date for the primary, allowing Afankwa to participate in the contest.
Approximately 900 delegates participated in the exercise, which was described as peaceful and smooth, with only a few delegates encountering issues with finding their names in the album, which were later resolved.
The outcome of the primaries places Madam Morrison among the 28 NPP incumbent Members of Parliament who were defeated in the January 27 internal elections held nationwide. Additionally, some NPP MPs voluntarily withdrew from the contest before the elections, including experienced figures like former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, MP for Saume, and 1st Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu, MP for Bekwei, both from the Ashanti Region.
Other notable figures who chose not to run for re-election include Samuel Atta Akyea, MP for Abuakwa South and Chairman of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, as well as Kennedy Ohene Agyapong from Assin Central. Their decisions will result in a significant change in the composition of the 9th parliament.
