Meet the Bissues: The ‘NPP couple’ who lost their bid to be Ghana’s first husband and wife in parliament

The couple’s dream of serving as members of the 9th Parliament of Ghana’s Fourth Republic together, failed following their defeats in the 2024 general elections.

Charles Cromwell Nanabanyin Onuawonto Bissue, a former Western Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party and a former presidential staffer, won the party’s parliamentary ticket for the Essikado-Ketan Constituency.

His wife, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, who is the outgoing Member of Parliament for Akuapem North Constituency, decided against seeking reelection in the constituency. Instead, she switched to Okaikwei North, where she won the NPP’s primaries with 341 votes out of 828 total votes.

Despite contesting in what are largely known to be NPP constituencies, the couple suffered defeat in the December 7, 2024, general election.

Charles Bissue lost his bid to the NDC’s Dr. Grace Ayensu Danquah, securing 17,754 votes against the 26,166 votes obtained by the NDC candidate.

In the case of his wife, Nana Ama Dokua, she lost the Okaikwei North contest to the incumbent Member of Parliament for the area, Theresa Lardy Awuni, who secured 28,363 votes against Dokua’s 20,627 votes.

The 2024 general election results

In the 2024 presidential race, former President Mahama, who was the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, won the race according to the results declared by the Electoral Commission. He beat 12 other candidates with 56.55% of the total valid votes.

His closest contender, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia of the ruling New Patriotic Party, obtained 41.61% of the total valid votes cast.

The NDC has claimed more than a two-thirds majority of the results already declared in the parliamentary race, having won over 180 seats out of 276 available for grabs.