By Cecil Mensah

The Herald’s extensive observation of issues related to the creation of the 45 constituencies by the Electoral Commission (EC) has revealed that Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, one-time wife of the former Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Justice Emil Short, is distancing herself from the controversy her party is engaged in with the EC boss, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Djan.

Ms. Botchwey, who is the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Weija on ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has opted for the Sowuotuom-Anyaa Constituency, one of the many constituencies carved from the densely populated Weija Constituency, which she nearly lost in 2008.

The Herald’s visit to Chantan and its environs, which fall within what has been earmarked as the Sowuotuom-Anyaa Constituency, revealed that her posters were side-by-side with that of Sedina Tamakloe Attionue who is on the ticket for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Ernest Afram of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP).

Ursula Owusu, another prominent NPP member, who was elected at the NPP primaries for the Ablekuma South Constituency, has also indicated her support for the EC boss, Dr. Afari-Djan to create Ablekuma West from the existing constituency.

She was heard telling listeners of ” Kokokro” morning show on “Peace FM” hosted by Kwame Sefa Kayi, last Wednesday, that her Constituency had two hundred and twenty polling stations and that she would be glad if the EC went ahead to split the Constituency.

What is shocking is that Ms. Botchwey, whose party is in court with the EC, has cleverly omitted the name Sowuotuom-Anyaa Constituency from most of her posters, but residents in the area told The Herald that they had seen some of her banners bearing Sowuotuom-Anyaa Constituency, inviting them to vote for her as their Parliamentarian for that Constituency.

Along the Chantan-Alhaji main road, The Herald observed that there was the splashing of large number of posters of Madam Botchwey at one of the polling stations adjacent to the Evangelical Christian Assembly as if she was competing for space.

The Herald can say that clearly missing on the aspirant’s posters was the name of the Constituency, but ”Vote for the NPP and Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey” was conspicuous.

The residents also tell The Herald that these days Ms. Botchwey, who served as a Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister in the Kufuor regime, spends more time in Chantan, vigorously campaigning than in any other part of the Weija Constituency.

One Rev .Fred Nii Adjetey Larbie, has also spread his posters in the other Constituency, created from the Weija Amanfro-Bortianor Constituency, vying for the seat on the ticket of the NPP.

Ms. Botchwey, is not the only one flouting the NPP’s resolve not to have the 45 new seats added to 230 seats to be contested for in the forthcoming elections. Lots of party Parliamentary aspirants have either expressed their interest openly in the new Constituencies by way of posters or are doing behind-the- scene campaigns, waiting for Parliament to pass the Constitutional Instrument (CI) legalizing the seats.

In the Sekyere Afram Plains Constituency of the Ashanti Region, a constituency carved out of the Kumawu Constituency, one Samuel K. Amponsah has splashed his portrait posters together with that of Nana Akufo-Addo, the NPP’s flag bearer, in all corners of the new Constituency.

One Mr. Alex Kofi Agyekum, is also vying for the newly created Mpohor-Wassa Constituency, in the Western Region, has also hit the streets of the Constituency with his posters and that of the NPP flagbearer, canvassing for votes.

Again Ms. Botchwey is not the only NPP MP who is vying for the new seat, Madam Elizabeth Sackey and Mr. Stephen Balado Manu, incumbent NPP MPs for Okaikoi North and Ahafo-Ano constituencies respectively are engaged in underground campaigns for the new seats.

While Madam Sackey, who lost the NPP primaries to one Patrick Yaw Boamah, wants to remain on the NPP ticket for the Okaikoi North, Mr. Boamah goes to the newly created Okaikoi Central and Mr. Balado Manu has run away from the Brong Ahafo Region completely by vying for the newly-created Tatale Constituency in the Saboba District of the Northern Region, his home town.

Lawyer Nkrabea Effa-Dartey, an ex-MP for Berekum Constituency in the Brong Ahafo Region and former Deputy Minister for Interior is also eyeing the new Constituency created out of his former Constituency.

Meanwhile, The Herald has learnt that even the NPP, which has short notice as one of the reasons for kicking against the creation of the 45 seats, is yet to elect parliamentary candidates for some four constituencies namely, Nkawkaw, Bekwai, Bosome-Fremo and Bawku Central for inexplicable reasons.