The Asawase Constituency remains a key stronghold of Ghana’s opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), with a population of over one hundred thousand voters.
Encircled by New Patriotic Party (NPP) strongholds like Manhyia South, Manhyia North, Subin, Oforikrom, Kwabre East, and Ejisu, Asawase stands out as a political outlier in the Ashanti Region.
Situated in the Asokore Mampong Municipality—established in 2012 after being carved from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly — the constituency is predominantly Muslim, with most residents tracing their roots to Northern Ghana.
Akans, meanwhile, represent a minority demographic. Many of the residents are engaged in the informal sector, with significant portions working as head porters or scrap dealers.
These individuals often face challenges, including frequent police harassment and difficult living conditions, as they try to earn a livelihood in one of the region’s largest slums.
Asawase’s voting landscape comprises 15 electoral areas and 215 polling stations. Voting patterns are often split: Muslim-majority areas favour the NDC, while Akan-majority areas show more support for the NPP. In 2016, the NPP set an ambitious goal to capture all 47 seats in the Ashanti Region, including Asawase.
Alhaji Alidu Seidu, the former Municipal Chief Executive for Asokore Mampong, was chosen to represent the NPP against incumbent NDC MP Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak. That year, NPP presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo received 39,363 votes (53.95%) in Asawase, while John Dramani Mahama of the NDC garnered 33,108 votes (45.38%). Despite Akufo-Addo’s success in the presidential race, Muntaka retained his parliamentary seat, with 39,095 votes (53.57%) compared to Seidu’s 33,490 (45.89%).
Research by Channel One TV revealed that in 2020, the NPP permitted Seidu to run unopposed for the parliamentary seat. However, this decision led to dissatisfaction among party supporters. As a result, John Mahama’s support in the presidential race increased, winning 47,460 votes (57.16%), while Akufo-Addo received 35,214 (42.41%). Muntaka’s victory margin in the parliamentary race also widened significantly, with 61,659 votes (66.36%) against Seidu’s 31,256 (33.64%), marking a difference of over 30,000 votes. Analysts attributed this result to apathy within the NPP base.
As the 2024 parliamentary race heats up, the NDC and NPP have intensified their campaigns. The NDC’s incumbent, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, faces a stiff challenge from Manaf Ibrahim, a former Director of Political Affairs at the Presidency.
Manaf is also a farmer and philanthropist, well-regarded by some as a youth leader dedicated to the welfare of the constituency.
For the NDC, Muntaka’s long tenure has brought infrastructure development, such as road improvements, and his supporters argue that his work speaks for itself. Ben Abdallah, the NDC’s Director of Elections for Asawase, emphasized that Muntaka’s achievements in education, health, and other sectors underscore his commitment to the constituency.
“Threats that the candidate of the NPP posed in 2020 were quite significant [but] in the end, the works of the Member of Parliament and by extension the good works of the party, the NDC.
“We made sure that that candidate was beaten resoundingly, the margin was close to 21,000. This time around we are more focused and we are on course to retain the seat”, he added
Conversely, the NPP sees Manaf as the fresh leadership Asawase needs. Mohammed Lamin Awal Jarah, an Assembly Member and part of Manaf’s campaign team, remarked that Manaf’s priorities are aligned with the people’s interests, positioning him as the best candidate for 2025.
“Manaf Ibrahim is putting the interest of the people ahead and he is going to tackle the issues bothering the Constituency head-on. We believe that he is going to wrestle the seat and the focus is about the constituents and not just contesting with Muntaka”.
Manaf’s campaign has focused on transformational development, challenging Muntaka’s long-standing slogan, “It is not money, but love,” as outdated.
However, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) insists that Manaf Ibrahim is not a viable option for the Asawase Constituency.
The smaller political parties have also presented their candidates to contest in the Asawase Constituency Parliamentary elections, but the focus is on the two major political parties the NDC and NPP.
The constituents are already divided between Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak and Manaf Ibrahim with both candidates actively engaging with voters, with a particular focus on night-time rallies, as they push for victory in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The experience of Muntaka as MP for over two decades will play out in the outcome of the upcoming elections, but Manaf Ibrahim’s approach in reaching out to the core grassroots for many could become a dangerous obstacle to Muntaka’s sixth term.
Both parties are still struggling with some of their internal wranglings and supporters of both parties are worried these developments could impact negatively election outcomes for their parties.
While Muntaka is not on good terms with his constituency Chairman, the NPP’s candidate on the other hand is battling feuding factions who are mostly supporters of the 2016 and 2020 NPP’s Parliamentary candidate, Alhaji Alidu Seidu.
Both Muntaka and Manaf and their supporters are confident of victory making Asawase one key Constituency to watch out for in the 2024 Parliamentary elections.
Leaders from the traditional, religious, and civil society sectors in Asawase have initiated dialogue with the political parties to ensure a peaceful election.
The President of the Council of Zongo Chiefs in the Ashanti Region, Naaba Musah Akanbonga, rejects claims that Asawase is a political hotspot, emphasizing that ongoing engagements are aimed at easing tensions.
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By: Hafiz Tijani, Ashanti Regional Correspondent for Channel One TV and Citi FM.
