The Deputy Energy Minister, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, has made history as the first NPP candidate to win the Karaga parliamentary seat since it was carved out of Gushegu ahead of the 2004 elections.
He won the 2020 parliamentary elections with 28,335 votes while NDC’s Alhassan Sualihu Dandawaa who has been MP since 2012 polled 19,690 votes.
This win came as a shock to many in view of the fact that the constituents in Karaga have always stayed loyal to the NDC.
In 2004 NDC’s Iddrisu Dawuda polled 14,868 representing 64.50% to beat the NPP’s Osman Issah Abubakari, who made 8,192 representing 35.50%.
In the presidential elections, the NDC’s John Evans Atta-Mills had 14,469 votes representing 63.68 %. He beat NPP’s John A. Kufour who polled 7,846 votes representing 34.53%.
In 2008 the NDC’s Iddrisu Dawuda again garnered 13,361 votes representing 56.25% to beat NPP Baba Wahab, who polled 9,783 votes which constitutes 41.11 % of the total votes cast.
The NDC’s John Evan Atta Mills polled 13,553 votes representing 58.76 % to beat Nana Akufo Addo who polled 8,801 representing 38.21.
In 2012, NDC’s Alhassan Sualihu Dandawaa had 15,648 votes representing 50.2%.
NPP’s Baba Wahab who was contesting for the second time lost with 13,17 votes which constitute 42.88% of the votes cast.
In 2016 the NDC’s Parliamentary candidate Alhassan Sualihu Dandawaa who was contesting for the second time polled 15,820 votes (48.57%).
Meanwhile, NPP lost again with its new candidate Sulemana Ibn Saeed who had 10,798 votes (33.43%).
For the Presidency John Dramani Mahama made away with 16,610 votes to represent 61.98% and the NPP Nana Akufo Addo garnered 12,716 representing 39.79%.
But the tables turned in 2020 with the NPP’s Dr Amin Adam winning with 59% of the votes cast.
NDC’s Alhassan Sualihu Dandawaa who has been contesting since 2012 lost the seat with 41% of the votes cast.
The NPP’s presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo also polled 26,270 votes representing 56.20% and the NDC’s candidate John Dramani Mahama had 19,884 votes representing 42.54%.
The constituents who spoke to JoyNews attributed his win to the massive development he has brought to the area as a parliamentary aspirant even before his win.
They named the construction of dams, the sinking of boreholes, the support to women farmers, Karaga street lighting system as some of his projects.
Some of the constituents also named his lobbying skills which earned the constituency the ongoing construction of a new Senior High School and astroturf.
Karaga was tipped as one of the hotspots in the Northern Region because of the keen competition between the two biggest parties in the country.
This tension led to several clashes between the two political parties leading to several injuries which marred the otherwise peaceful elections.