Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, the Member of Parliament for Tema West, has stated his intent not to contest for the seat in the 2024 elections.
Mr. Ahenkorah, who is a two-term MP and a former Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, announced his intention not to contest again at a media engagement in Tema.
The MP, who is a freight forwarder and the Chief Executive Officer of Carloking Services, became the MP of Tema West after snatching the seat from Madam Irene Naa Torshie Addo in a primary that saw him polling 502 votes as against Madam Addo’s 273.
Ghana News Agency information indicates that the MP resigned as Deputy Minister of Trade after several calls from civil society organisations for him to be fired or resign following his flouting of COVID-19 health protocols in 2020.
Mr. Ahenkorah, who had tested positive for COVID-19, went out to interact with party members and visited a voter registration centre instead of being in isolation as required by the protocols.
In January 2021, the MP was also seen on live telecast during the election of the Speaker of Parliament snatching some ballot papers from the chamber during the voting and headed towards the office.
The Tema West constituency has been a stronghold for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and in their quest to maintain the seat, two hopefuls have successfully filed their nominations to contest to be the parliamentary candidate and subsequently the MP.
They are Dennis Amfo-Sefah, a former constituency chairperson, and Robert Richard Suapim.