Electorates in Kumawu Constituency of the Ashanti Region will head to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new Member of Parliament, in what is expected to be a tight race between the two major political parties, National Democratic Congress NDC and the ruling New Patriotic Party NPP.

The most anticipated by-election which became necessary after the demise of the incumbent MP Hon Philip Basoah also has one vibrant independent candidate, giving the two parties a wild chase in the race.

OTEC News correspondent, Jacob Agyenim Boateng, who has keenly followed build up on the elections, profiled the three arch-rivals, who are squaring off for the now vacant Parliamentary seat in the by-election

First on the ballot paper is the Parliamentary candidate for the incumbent New Patriotic Party NPP, Mr. Ernest Yaw Anim.

The NPP candidate pulled 195 votes to beat other four aspirants during their party primaries.

Mr Ernest Yaw Anim was a Senior Accountant at Vanguard Properties Development, Ghana.

He held several positions at Vanguard including Financial Controller where he managed an annual budget of over $4m on four different projects.

He also ensured compliance with all regulatory frameworks – companies code, and taxation.

Before joining Vanguard, he was an Account Officer at Millennium Development Authority Ghana.

He has also worked as Assistant Manager, Tax Services for Nobisfields.

Ernest was a graduate assistant at Ohio University Economics Department and holds the following qualifications:

Master of Financial Economics at Ohio University, Professional Certificate in Accounting from ACCA, and B. Com from the University of Cape Coast.

He is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA

On the flip side of the coin comes the Parliamentary candidate for the opposition National Democratic Congress NDC, Mr Akwasi Amankwaa who is branded in political circles as Tomcee.

Mr Akwasi Amankwa was confirmed as the party’s parliamentary candidate to lead the party into the 23rd May 2023 by-election as nobody challenged him during the party primaries.

Akwasi Amankwa brother to Dr. Kwabena Duffour, a stalwart in the NDC has since vowed to win the seat for the umbrella party.

Tom Cee as he is affectionately called is a graduate of Cambridge International School Kwadaso.

Prempeh College and Thames Valley University London, UK (Business Administration.

He works in Ghana as an entrepreneur and a gold trader/ Mining Management Consultant

The NDC PC has also worked in the United Kingdom as the chief executive officer for Logistics Company, Oasis restaurant Retail management

He is a native of Kumawu Bodomase where he was born and brought up by Madam Charlotte Duffuor, his mother.

His father happens to be the Dwantoa hene of Kumawu in the person of Nana Baffour Badu

Another person who has tipped to pull a major shock in the pending by-election is Mr. Kwaku Duah, an independent candidate.

Mr Kwaku Duah who contested in the 2020 general elections as an independent candidate came second with a total valid vote of 11,698, representing 39.96% of the total votes, as against Mr. Basoah who won the race with 14,960 valid votes, representing 51.11% of the total votes.

The 62-year-old man a native of Kumawu Bodomase is a registered nurse, a business’s man and a farmer and he is the number three on the ballot paper.

The last on the ballot paper is another independent candidate who also bears the name Kwaku Duah.

This particular company who is relatively young is said to be the nephew of the other independent candidate in the same race.

Relatively unknown to the electorate until the declaration of his intent to contest in the election, some critics believe the young independent candidate, who hails from Bodomase, is being sponsored by the NPP in a clever strategy to derail the prospects of the leading independent candidate.