Provisional results trickling in points to the fact that the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson has been reelected as a lawmaker for the area, DAYBREAK Online can report.
Though the Electoral Commission has not declared the results, but reports indicate that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate has taken commanding lead in the by-election with over 3,000 votes.
Already, members of the opposition party have taken to the streets in jubilation, believing that they have won the election.
Voters in the Assin North Constituency in the Central Region went to the polls to vote in a parliamentary by-election to elect a member of parliament for the area today June 27, 2023 following the nullification of the previous election won by Gyekye Quayson.
Following the declaration of the seat as vacant as a result of a Supreme Court decision for the name of James Gyakye Quayson to be expunged from parliament, the area received intense political activities in the run-up to today’s election.
A total of 41,168 registered voters were expected to vote in 99 polling stations across the constitÂuency.
Three candidates contested the by-election with Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and NDC’s James Gyakye Quayson as the front runners in the keenly contested election.
The third candiÂdate, Bernice Enyonam Sefenu representing the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG).
Since 2012, the NDC had won two of the three parliamentary elections (2012 and 2020) with the other one slot going to the NPP (2016) and pundits expect the seat to swing towards the NPP.
Before the creation of Assin North and Assin Central conÂstituencies from the then Assin North Constituency in 2012, the constitÂuency was seen as the stronghold of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with Kennedy Agyapong winning the seat three terms (2000, 2004, and 2008).
However, the NDC represented by Samuel Ambre, won the newly created Assin North ParliamenÂtary seat in the 2012 by obtaining 14,338 votes representing 51.64 per cent to beat Ebenezer AppiÂah-Kubi of the NPP who garnered 12,281 votes, representing 44.24 per cent.
In the 2016 parliamentary elections, Abena Durowaa Mensah who contested on the ticket of the NPP annexed the seat by securing 15,553 votes representing 56.77 per cent against Samuel Ambre of the NDC who secured 10,751 votes, representing 39.24 per cent.
The NPP candidate, Abena Durowaa Mensah who was the incumbent MP garnered 14,193 votes representing 44.79 per cent to hand over the seat to the NDC’s James Gyakye Quayson who obtained 17,498 votes, representing 55.21 per cent.
Strategically, the NPP selected Charles Opoku, an indigene of AsÂsin Breku, the constituency capital to neutralise the political advantage of James Gyakye Quayson, also an indigene of the town.
Due to the seriousness both the NPP and NDC attached to the elections, high-ranking officials of the two political parties were in Assin North to campaign for their respective candidates in the run up to the poll.
Today’s poll is seen as a mid-term election to test the popularity of the ruling NPP administration and the main opposition NDC which would set the tone for a psychological mind game in the run-up to the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.
The NPP likewise, its NDC counterpart, sent members of different ethic identities to every community including farms and hamlets to campaign for their respective candidate.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Vice PresÂident, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, National Chairman, Stephen Ntim, General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong and other national officers of the party, members of parliament, regional and constituÂency executives and other officials among others campaigned vigorÂously on the need for the electorÂate to vote for Charles Opoku.
Led by the former President, John Dramani Mahama, Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary, Fifi Kwettey and other leading members of the party inÂcluding members of parliament the NDC gave indication of the party winning the elections.
The NDC besides playing the sympathy card, focused on marshalling its supporters within the settler communities to vote massively for the party’s candidate in the by-election.
General Secretary of the NDC, Fifi Fiavi Kwettey, during a radio rally on Rich FM, a local radio station at Assin Fosu pleaded with the host to allow him speak Ewe to reach out to people from the Volta Region domiciled in the various communities in the Assin North Constituency.
