Eric Opoku (politician) explained

Honorific-Prefix:Hon.
Eric Opoku
Honorific-Suffix:MP
Constituency Mp:Asunafo South
Parliament:Ghana
Term Start:7 January 2013
Predecessor:George Boakye
Successor:Incumbent
Parliament2:Ghana
Term Start2:16 July 2014
Term End2:6 January 2017
Predecessor2:Paul Evans Aidoo
Successor2:Kweku Asomah-Cheremeh
Birth Date:5 June 1970
Nationality:Ghanaian 
Party:National Democratic Congress
Alma Mater:Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Profession:Farmer/Agriculturist
Committees:Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, Privileges Committee & Appointments Committee
Term End5:6 January 2009
Successor5:George Boakye
Predecessor5:George William Amponsah
Office5:Member of the Ghana Parliamentfor Asunafo South
Successor4:Paul Evans Aidoo
Successor3:Samuel Sarpong
Office3:Ashanti Regional Minister
Predecessor3:Samuel Sarpong
Term End4:14 February 2013
Term End3:16 July 2014
Term Start4:11 March 2013
Term Start3:11 March 2013
Office4:Brong Ahafo Regional Minister
Office2:Brong Ahafo Regional Minister
Term Start5:7 January 2005
Majority:1,395

Eric Opoku is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Seventh Parliament and 8th Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Asunafo South Constituency in the Brong-Ahafo Region on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress.[1]

Early life and education

Eric Opoku was born on 5 June 1970.[2] He hails from a town called Sankore in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. He had his Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in year 2004.

Career

Opoku is a farmer/ agriculturist. Prior to his appointment into parliament, he worked as a teacher with the Ghana Education Service at SDA Primary School in Sankore, from 1997 to 2000. He has also worked with Kuapa Kookoo Ltd as the Society Development Secretary from 1998 to 2001.

Political career

Opoku was first elected into parliament in the 3rd parliament of the 4th republic of Ghana as the member of parliament for the Asunafo South constituency in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. Though he lost his seat in the subsequent election, he was elected again into parliament on 7 January 2013 after claiming victory at the 2012 Ghanaian General Elections to represent the Asunafo South constituency and served until 6 January 2017. He was then reelected on 7 January 2017 after the 2016 Ghanaian General Elections where he obtained 52.97% of the valid votes cast.
He has worked as the Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister from 2009 to 2013. In the 7th parliament of the 4th republic of Ghana he served on the Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee as a ranking Member. He also served on the Privileges Committee and Appointments Committee in the same parliament.

Opoku received an award as the best member of parliament for communal and rural development for 2017 from the Bureau of Research on Governance, Commerce and Administration (BORGCA). This award was given for his contribution to developmental projects in the Asunafo South constituency.[3]

Elections

Opoku was elected as the member of parliament for the Asunafo South constituency of the Brong Ahafo region in the 2004 Ghanaian general elections.[4] [5] He won on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress. His constituency was a part of the 10 parliamentary seats out of a total 24 seats won by the National Democratic Congress in that election for the Brong Ahafo Region.[6] [7] The Asunafo South constituency saw a ‘skirt and blouse’ voting by electorates in that election as the presidential candidate elected by the constituency electorates was John Kufour of the major opposition New Patriotic Party. The National Democratic Congress won a minority total of 94 parliamentary seats out of 230 seats in that elections. Opoku was elected with 14,076 votes out of 29,345 total valid votes cast, equivalent to 48% of total valid votes cast. He was elected over George William Amponsah of the New Patriotic Party, Jack Kennedy Brobbey an independent candidate and Fredrick Nkrumah of the Convention People's Party. These obtained 43.80%, 7.30% and 0.90% respectively of total valid votes cast.

Opoku was re-elected in the 2020 Parliamentary election to represent them in the 8th Parliament of the fourth Republic of Ghana.

Attack

Opoku was attacked in his residence on 25 December 2017 in Sankore in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana.[8] [9] The National Democratic Congress alleged that the attackers were armed supporters of the opposition New Patriotic Party. He was attacked for the second time, on 1 April 2018, also in his home in Sankore by armed men.[10] [11] Though left unharmed the attackers allegedly made away with about GHS 10,400.00, a television set and decoder and damaged three of Opoku's vehicles.

Personal life

Opoku is a Christian. He is married with four children.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Parliament of Ghana . 2024-05-02 . www.parliament.gh.
  2. Web site: 2016-04-25. Ghana MPs - MP Details - Opoku, Eric. 2020-08-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20160425065725/http://ghanamps.gov.gh/mps/details.php?id=2679. 25 April 2016.
  3. Web site: Eric Opoku rewarded Best MP for rural devt. 2020-08-02. Graphic Online. en-gb.
  4. Web site: FM. Peace. Ghana Election 2004 Results - Asunafo South Constituency. 2020-08-02. Ghana Elections - Peace FM. 17 December 2014 .
  5. Book: Elections 2004; Ghana's Parliamentary and Presidential Elections. Electoral Commission of Ghana; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. 2005. Accra. 131.
  6. Web site: 2016-08-10. Statistics of Presidential and Parliamentary Election Results. 2020-08-02. Fact Check Ghana. en-US.
  7. Web site: FM. Peace. Ghana Election 2004 Results - Brong Ahafo Region. 2020-08-02. Ghana Elections - Peace FM. 17 December 2014 .
  8. Web site: Attack On Asunafo South MP Unfortunate, Sad!. 2020-08-02. Modern Ghana. en.
  9. Web site: Addo. Charles. 2017-12-28. Blame NPP, Akufo-Addo over attack on NDC MP Eric Opoku - Minority. 2020-08-02. Yen.com.gh - Ghana news.. en.
  10. Web site: Asunafo South MP, Eric Opoku and three others attacked. 2020-08-02. BusinessGhana.
  11. Web site: Online. Peace FM. NDC Delegation Visits Eric Opoku (PHOTO). 2020-08-02. Peacefmonline.com - Ghana news.