Constituency Watch Series: Lawra Constituency

Photo Credit: Steve & Suzanne

In Episode 3 of our Constituency Watch Series, we go to the Upper West Region of Ghana. This time, we are in the Lawra Constituency. The Lawra Constituency (formerly Lawra-Nandom Constituency) is one of the eleven constituencies in the Upper West Region. The constituency, like many others in the region, has its unique challenges, with poor road network being key among them.

The Lawra Constituency has historically been a stronghold of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in both presidential and parliamentary elections since the return of multiparty democracy in 1992. However, in 2008, the political atmosphere of the constituency witnessed a significant shift when the former Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, clinched victory in the parliamentary elections for the first time under the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), unseating the incumbent MP, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor. Since then, parliamentary elections in the constituency have been fiercely contested, with both parties tasting victories and defeats.

The current MP for the Constituency is Bede Ziedeng. He has been the MP for the Constituency since 2021, having defeated the incumbent MP and former Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways Anthony Karbo in the 2020 elections.

As the 2024 elections draw closer, both political parties have elected their parliamentary candidates. The NDC has elected the incumbent MP, Bede Ziedeng as their candidate, while the NPP has elected the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Lawra, Jacob Dery, as their parliamentary candidate.

How has the historical performance of the two parties in the constituency evolved over the years, and what factors have contributed to these performances? This article explores these issues, as well as the prospects of both parties in the constituency in the 2024 elections.

About the Lawra Constituency

The Lawra Constituency is one of the oldest constituencies in the Upper West Region. It is located in the Lawra Municipality, with a voter population of about 33,059 as at 2020. It is bounded to the east, south, and north by the Jirapa, Lambussie and Nandom Constituencies respectively, and to the west by the Republic of Burkina Faso. The Constituency was originally made up of two districts – Lawra and Nandom – until 2012 when it was split into two constituencies – Lawra Constituency and Nandom Constituency.

The major economic activity is farming with a few people engaged in trading activities. The ethnic make-up of the constituency consists of the Dagaaba, Lobi, and Wala. Some of the popular communities in the constituencies include Lawra, Eremon, Babile, Boo, Zambo, Kakaltuo and Dowine.

Dynamics of Parliamentary Elections in the Lawra Constituency

Since 1954, the Lawra Constituency has been represented in parliament by different political parties, including the Unity Party (UP), the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), the People National Party (PNP), the National Democratic Party Congress (NDC), and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). However, since the return to multiparty democracy in 1992, parliamentary elections have been dominated solely by the NDC and the NPP.

The graph below (fig 1.1) depicts the performance of the NDC and NPP in parliamentary elections in the Lawra Constituency from 1996 to 2020. The 1992 parliamentary elections are excluded from the analysis as opposition parties, including the NPP, boycotted them, resulting in a default victory for NDC candidate Ken Kunfah.

 Figure 1.1: Parliamentary Elections Performance of the NDC and NPP in the Lawra Constituency (1996 – 2020)

Source: Author’s computation – Data from EC

From the graph above, it can be seen that the NDC has dominated the parliamentary elections since 1996. The party held the seat for 12 consecutive years, from 1996 to 2004, but lost it in the 2008 and 2016 elections.

In 1996, Anthony Bondong won the parliamentary seat for the NDC with about 67.8% of the votes defeating the NPP parliamentary candidate who got only 6.6% of the votes. This was the first competitive parliamentary elections since the return to a multiparty democracy.  The NDC retained the seat in the 2000 and 2004 elections, with Dr Benjamin Kunbuor as their parliamentary candidate, obtaining 74.4% and 62% of the votes respectively.

However, the party failed to retain the seat in the 2008 elections. Ambrose Dery (former Interior Minister) won the seat for the NPP for the first time, defeating the incumbent MP Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, with 50.8% of the votes. Political watchers attributed the victory of Ambrose Dery to two factors. First, he contested the seat in the 2004 elections, and obtained about 34% of the votes (see figure 1.1), making him a known figure in the constituency. Secondly, between 2005 and 2007, he was the Upper West Regional Minister, which allowed him to further interact with many of the constituents prior to the 2008 elections. Also, a former Acting General Secretary of the NDC (now the incumbent MP for Lawra) Bede Ziedeng had left the party to form the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), along with other disgruntled NDC executives. He contested the seat on the DFP ticket. This did not only affect the unity of the NDC in the constituency, but the votes he attained (4.6%) was seen as the gamechanger.

When the Constituency was split into Lawra and Nandom constituencies in 2012, Ambrose Dery and Dr Benjamin Kunbuor moved to contest the Nandom seat, as they are both natives of Nandom. This led to both parties presenting fresh candidates for the Lawra constituency in the 2012 elections. The NDC's candidate was Samson Abu and that of the NPP was Anthony Karbo, who was then the National Youth Organiser of the NPP. Samson Abu defeated Anthony Karbo in the 2012 elections, obtaining 64% of the votes, while Karbo garnered 33.1%.  

The NPP re-elected Anthony Karbo in 2015 as their parliamentary candidate for the 2016 elections. However, Samson Abu, who was the incumbent MP on the ticket of the NDC did not win his primaries. He lost the primaries to Bede Ziedeng and contested the 2016 elections as an independent candidate. This allowed the NPP’s Anthony Karbo to win the seat. Karbo obtained 39.6%, with Bede Ziedeng obtaining 34.1%, while the independent candidate obtained 24.9%. Supporters of the NDC believe that the NPP could not have won the seat if Samson Abu had not contested as an independent candidate.

Samson Abu reunited with the NDC ahead of the 2020 elections and led the Bede Ziedeng parliamentary campaign. This led to the party reclaiming the seat in that election, with Bede Ziedeng winning with 55.9% of the votes, beating incumbent MP Anthony Karbo, who garnered 44.1% of the votes.

Dynamics of Presidential Elections in the Lawra Constituency

Unlike the parliamentary elections, the NDC has won every presidential election in the Lawra Constituency since the return of multiparty democracy in 1992. The graph (fig 1.2) below shows the presidential election performance of the NDC and the NPP from 1996 to 2020.

Figure 1.2: Presidential Elections Performance of the NDC and NPP in the Lawra Constituency (1996 – 2020)

Source: Author’s computation – Data from EC

The graph above shows that the NDC has won every presidential election in the constituency since 1996. However, its performance has been declining steadily over the years, from 81.5% in 1996 to an all-time low of 51.9% and 54.9% in 2008 and 2016, respectively, before increasing slightly to 60.2% in 2020. However, the performance of the NPP in the constituency has been improving, rising from 6.7% in 1996 to 38.2% in 2020, with a peak of 42.4% in 2008. Some analysts argue that the NPP's improved performance in the constituency is consistent with the party's overall electoral success in the five northern regions in recent years.

Who Wins the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections?

Both the presidential and parliamentary elections will be closely contested. However, the NDC seems to have the upper hand due to its historical dominance in the constituency. The failure of the NPP to fulfil some of the campaign promises it made ahead of the 2016 and 2020 elections may also impact them negatively. For instance, work on the long-awaited Dikpe Bridge –  which connects Lawra and Burkina Faso –  is yet to commence, although President Akufo-Addo cut sod for its construction in October 2020 amidst fanfare.  More importantly, failure by the  government to fulfil its promise of fixing the poor road network in Lawra town and its surrounding communities, including Eremon, Dowine, Boo, Zambo, Kakaltuo etc  has left many constituents discontented. These issues could sway electorates towards the opposition.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the NDC has won every presidential election in the Lawra Constituency since the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1992. However, the party's electoral performance has been declining gradually over the years, with the NPP gaining ground and increasing its share of the votes. Regarding parliamentary elections, both parties have tasted success, although the NDC has maintained a majority of the victories.

Ahead of the 2024 elections, the deplorable nature of the roads in the constituency appears as a major campaign issue, resonating deeply with many electorates. The unfulfilled campaign promises by the NPP regarding infrastructure could hurt the chances of the party in the constituency. As parties gear up for this crucial election, addressing local issues and concerns will be crucial to securing voter allegiance and trust and ultimately, clinching victory.

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