Afenyo-Markin repeats false claim that NPP MPs lost all seats in mining areas because of galamsey fight

At a press conference on Wednesday, October 22, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin claimed that NPP MPs lost seats in all the mining areas because of the erstwhile government’s fight against illegal mining (galamsey).

Mr Afenyo-Markin’s claim was in response to questions asked by journalists at the presser, adding that excessive politicisation has weakened the fight against galamsey.

“Because look at it, in 2020 elections, NPP lost [sic] all the mining areas, and there are videos where our friends in the NDC were there in these constituencies telling them [constituents] that they are sacking you and they are denying you of your bread, so when we come, we will find a way of giving you a cover or protection,” he said.

The claim that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lost parliamentary seats and votes because of its fight against galamsey has been repeated in several conversations by key party figures.

Those who have made this claim include former President Akufo-Addo, the party’s 2024 running mate Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO), and then Minister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.

Other NPP members, such as former General Secretary John Boadu, former Deputy Chairman of Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee Elvis Morris Donkoh, and Asante Akim South MP Kwaku Asante-Boateng, have repeated this narrative, using it to justify the government’s hesitation in declaring a state of emergency over galamsey when they were in power.

Fact-Check Ghana, in its earlier report, indicated that it is not accurate that the NPP lost seats in mining constituencies as a result of its galamsey fight.

Fact-Check Ghana has verified Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s claims and presents the findings below.

Claim: “Because look at this, in the 2020 elections, NPP lost [sic] all the mining areas.”

Verdict: False

Explanation:

After the 2016 elections, the NPP held a commanding majority of 169 seats against the NDC’s 106. But in the 2020 elections, that majority narrowed to 137-137, with one independent MP from Fomena, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, formerly an NPP member, later joining the NPP side to give them a working majority of 138-137.

Illegal and small-scale mining activities mainly take place in 13 of Ghana’s 16 regions, excluding the Northern, Greater Accra, and Volta Regions.

The Ashanti Region has the highest number of mining constituencies (24), followed by the Eastern Region (15); Western Region (11); Western North (9); Central Region (6); Upper West (6); Upper East (5); Ahafo Region (3); Savannah Region (2); Bono Region (1); Bono East (2); North East (1) and Oti Region (1).

In total, there are 86 mining constituencies in Ghana. Before the 2016 elections, the NPP controlled 64 of these constituencies, while the NDC held 22.

By the 2020 elections, the NPP recorded a net loss of 13 of its mining seats, bringing its total down to 51, while the NDC gained 12, rising to 34, with one independent seat (Fomena).

While the NPP lost 13 seats in mining constituencies, these defeats were not primarily driven by the government’s crackdown on illegal mining. Several were linked to internal disputes, factionalism, and grassroots political issues.

Akwatia Constituency (Eastern Region): Despite President Akufo-Addo’s victory there, the NPP parliamentary candidate, Ernest Kumi, lost to the NDC’s Henry Yiadom Boakye. Analysts attributed the loss to severe internal divisions. The outgoing MP, Ama Sey, had threatened to contest as an independent candidate until the President personally intervened.

Lawra Constituency (Upper West): The NPP had won this traditional NDC seat in 2016 through Anthony Karbo but lost it in 2020. Reports show that Karbo’s defeat was fueled by internal party conflicts, particularly tensions with the constituency chairman, Mohammed Donkor, not because of any galamsey-related antipathy.

Fomena Constituency (Ashanti Region): The NPP lost this seat to its own member, Andrew Asiamah, who went independent after being disqualified from contesting under the party’s ticket.

Other constituencies the party lost, such as Nkoranza South, Amenfi East, and Evalue Ajomoro Gwira, have long been swing constituencies, meaning victory there has never been guaranteed for either major party.

In Jomoro, the NPP’s 2016 victory broke a historical NDC dominance, but the seat returned to the NDC in 2020, again unrelated to mining issues.

This means that, according to the data, the NPP’s losses in mining constituencies were not solely due to its anti-galamsey stance. It is also clear that the NPP did not lose all its seats in mining areas.

Out of 64 seats the NPP held in mining areas before the 2020 elections, it lost only 13, representing 20.3% of its mining seats.

Therefore, claims by Minority Leader and MP for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, that the NPP lost all its seats in mining constituencies because of its fight against illegal mining, are false.

Rather, internal divisions, independent candidacies, and local political shifts as the primary causes of the NPP’s parliamentary losses, not its stance on galamsey. In conclusion, the NPP did not lose all its mining-area seats in the 2020 general elections. The party actually lost 13 of its 64 seats in illegal mining areas. In fact, the party’s loss of most of the 13 seats during the 2020 elections was due to a combination of factors, mostly internal divisions and local political dynamics.