The NDC’s James Gyakye Quayson polled 17,245 votes representing 57.56% of the votes, while the NPP’s Charles Opoku managed12,630 or 42.15% of the valid votes cast.

The General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Kodua Frimpong, says unlike the NDC, his party had a limited time in propagating their message to the electorate.

Speaking to JoyNews, he said “as a party, we did not have enough time. We had to go and quickly hold our primary to elect our candidate, and yes Charles Opoku was elected within the shortest possible time.

“We could not get the time to market him very well. It’s true, the time was very short against a candidate who had won elections in 2020.”

He explained that Mr Quayson was popular and already had a stronger supoort base in the constituency, and so if the party wanted to win the seat, there should have been enough time to market their candidate.

“This is someone who won the seat from us in 2020, and until the supreme court made a pronouncement that he could not hold himself as a Member of Parliament, he was a Member of Parliament for the constituency, so he was definitely popular,” he said.

“In terms of reality in terms of what happened at Assin North, you can concede that there was an element of sympathy that went his way,” he added.

Mr Frimpong explained that the constituents felt their MP had been treated unfairly, hence the need to re-elect him into the office to fulfill the promises made to them.

He, however, says vital lessons would be gleaned from the election for a stronger comeback in 2024.

However, a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana says the discerning nature of the electorate at Assin North came to play in the bye-election.

Prof Ransford Gyampo noted that the governing party seemed to have underestimated the voters’ capacity to interpret hidden meanings and intentions behind some strategies implemented.

Prof Gyampo further noted that the residents comprehended the motives behind the sudden surge in developmental projects and the attempts at vote buying.

As a result, the lecturer believes they chose to “teach them [NPP] a lesson” by voting for the opposition NDC candidate.

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Eric Ntori, the party’s Director of IT, informed JoyNews that their plans did not unfold as expected. However, he expressed hope for favourable news as the Electoral Commission delivers the certified results.

Ntori stated to JoyNews’ Ohemeng Tawiah, “It didn’t go well for us, but it doesn’t mean that we’ve lost it all.”

He affirmed that their side exerted their best efforts and intends to regroup, prepare anew, and strive to recapture the seat in 2024.

He further remarked, “Fortunately for us, the good people of Assin North were willing to support our cause and ensure that we collectively rectify the injustice that has been committed.”

Ahead of this admission, Bede Ziedeng, a prominent member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), expressed confidence in James Gyakye Quayson’s victory. Ziedeng confidently stated, “We have won the election by a landslide because our internally collated figures indicate that we are in the range of 17,000, while the NPP struggles with 11,000. The gap is substantial, wider than what we experienced in the general election.”

So far, provisional indicated a widening victory margin in favor of the NDC’s James Gyakye Quayson, diminishing the chances of the NPP’s Charles Opoku.

Overall, the electoral process was relatively peaceful, with only isolated incidents reported since the polls opened at 7 am.

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His closest contender, Charles Opoku, polled 12, 630.

A total of 99 polling station results officially collated by the the EC puts Mr Quayson as the winner with 57.56%.

Functionaries from the opposition NDC had earlier released some figures projecting the party’s candidate Mr Quayson was winning.

This threw NDC supporters in the constituency into celebratory mood with many pouring white powder on themselves in jubilation.

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, has made claims regarding the ongoing Assin North bye-election.

During an interview on Adom TV, Chairman Wontumi alleged that approximately 26,000 voters had already cast their ballots, with the NPP securing 16,000 votes.

He stated that this indicated the NPP’s favourable position in the election.

Interestingly, Chairman Wontumi claimed to have received this information through divine revelation, despite the polls being scheduled to close at 5 pm.

The Assin North bye-election became necessary when Parliament officially declared the seat vacant, prompting the Electoral Commission to organise the bye-election.

Both the NPP and the NDC, the two major political parties, have actively campaigned in the constituency, seeking to garner support and win the seat to strengthen their representation in the legislature.

Chairman Wontumi expressed his confusion as to why the NDC candidate is still participating in the election despite being involved in a court case.

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He further alleged that one of the party members cursed the money before handing it over to them.

Expressing surprise at this behaviour, he pointed out that the parties resorted to dubious means to acquire the money and questioned why they would be concerned after giving it to them and casting curses.

In an interview, the young man expressed his shock, saying, “I received GH₵‎200 from the NPP and GH₵‎100 from the NDC, but one of them has cursed us. I am even shocked that they would curse us when they obtained the money through dishonest methods. The money they are spending doesn’t belong to them, so why are they worried after giving it to us and cursing us?”

When asked if he still intended to vote, he replied, “I will still vote, but I won’t disclose who I will vote for.”

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This follows the adaptation of some new strategies by the party ahead of the polls on Tuesday.

Speaking on the JoyNew’s AM Show on Monday, June 26, Dr Boahene said the NPP’s decision to implement some initiatives used during the Kumawu bye-election gives it some advantage over the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“When you look at the strategy that has been deployed by the NPP on the ground, it is not different from what they did in Kumawu.

“Given that they are now looking out to help people who registered or voting at Assin North and probably might have travelled and for financial issues are not likely to come back.

“Now when that happens and they are able to implement that strategy very well, then of course again, we are likely to see some kind of advantage over there.”

Based on this, Dr Boahene advised the NDC to come up with new strategies if the party was interested in winning the seat for James Gyakye Quayson.

“What it means is that the NDC must up their game if they want to win this seat apart from other structural strategies they have put in place,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, a political marketing expert at the University of Ghana says the current momentum in the Assin North constituency could result in the NDC’s James Gyakye Quayson winning the bye-election.

He argues that there are three key indicators that will work in favour of the NDC’s candidate.

One of the factors, per his assessment, hinges on the aggressiveness the party has attached to the campaign.

“Judging from how intense they have been in that community,” Prof Mensah believes the odds could be in their favour.

Speaking on Joy FM‘s Super Morning Show, Prof Mensah stressed that recent development since the state commenced the prosecution of the ousted MP has courted some empathy among the constituents in addition to what he had done for the community.

“If you have to stretch it, it looks like there’s quite a lot of empathy on the side based on what he’s done in the community and based on the fact that he’s in court.

“So you find that from the tapes and the footage that is actually coming from the community. Of course, I could be wrong but it looks like there is no sort of anger against him, and that actually puts him in a good position,” he said on Monday.

Finally, the University of Ghana lecturer believes the sentiment around the performance of the government as a whole is likely to play out in this by-election.

He explained that the constituents may also be witnessing the effects of the economic downturn which may eventually influence their choice in tomorrow’s poll.

“Sadly, there is a general discontent against the government itself. It is not any secret. That is not, you know, anything that people do not know, all of us are very much aware that the government is not in the good books of many people, including the people of Assin North,” he insisted.

“If you take away the demographics, which of course, both candidates actually share the same origin, where they come from and then if you add the other things that I’ve talked about – economic issues and sentiments against the government, obviously the kind of empathy that people are sharing for the MP – I think it puts rather the NDC candidate ahead of the NPP without any poll conducted.”

Background

A by-election in Assin North has become necessary after parliament wrote to the Electoral Commission declaring the seat vacant.

This followed a Supreme Court ruling that the Electoral Commission acted unconstitutionally in allowing Mr Quayson to contest the 2020 parliamentary election without proof of him renouncing his Canadian Citizenship.

The apex court in its ruling ordered parliament to expunge James Gyakye Quayson’s name from its records as a Member of Parliament. It further declared that his election was unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect. His swearing-in was equally declared to be unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, the NDC is backing Mr Quayson to stand again as their candidate in the by-election.

The NPP in Assin North also voted for Charles Opoku to lead them into the by-election.

The election is expected to come off on Tuesday, June 27.

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The survey indicates that Charles Opoku, the parliamentary candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), holds a slight advantage over James Gyakye Quayson, the parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to the poll, 45.6 percent of the respondents expressed their intention to vote for James Gyakye Quayson, while 46.7 percent declared their support for Charles Opoku.

However, the results also highlight that 6.9 percent of voters remain undecided, making their votes pivotal in determining the outcome of the election on Tuesday.

The survey involved 2,500 participants, providing valuable insights into the preferences of the electorate ahead of the bye-election. Both candidates are vying for the support of the undecided voters, knowing that their decision will shape the final results.

The survey by Global InfoAnalytics also revealed that Charles Opoku has squandered a 19% lead he enjoyed four weeks ago into a 1.1% lead, meaning the race is a dead heat.

Mr Opoku “led in the first tracking poll 57% to 38% against James Gyakye-Quayson. However, over the period, Charles has slid in the poll as the campaign got into full swing, losing an average 1% daily since 6th June, and currently, leads 46.7% by 45.6%, representing a margin of 1.1% a drop from 19% margin. 6.9% of voters are undecided, meaning the fate of the race very much lies in the hand of undecided voters.”

The survey also revealed that Mr Gyakye-Quayson leads in 11 out of the 18 electoral areas while Mr Opoku leads in 7%. The Poll also shows that Mr Opoku has a strong lead among voters aged 18-24 and 25-34. Mr Gyakye Quayson leads in older groups.

However, evidence shows that young voters could be unreliable demography and if they fail to turnout in their numbers as the poll suggests, this could be a blow to Mr Opoku’s chances.

Though Mr Gyakye Quayson leads among the crucial Akan group, he trails Mr Opoku among the Ewes, the second largest ethnic group in the constituency.

According to the poll, 70% of voters indicated that they would not be swayed by the sudden developmental projects in the constituency compared to 30% would be swayed.

Ironically, when voters were asked what action (s) they would take if they were offered an inducement to vote for a particular candidate, 78% said they will take the inducement and vote for the candidate compared to 16% who would take the inducement and vote against the candidate.

On the issue of the court case, when voters who voted for Mr Opoku were asked if they were influenced to vote for him because they feared Mr Gyakye Quayson’s court case could be an issue, 20% of them said they intended to vote for Mr Opoku because of Mr Gyakye Quayson’s court case.

The poll also shows that 44% of NDC voters who intend to vote for CharlesMr Opoku were doing so because of Mr Gyakye-Quayson’s court case.

In the key battleground electoral areas of Endwa, Breku, Dominase, Bediadua and Praso, undecided voters average over 10% of voters.

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According to Alex Segbefia, the NPP is working to ensure that the candidate for the NDC, Gyakye Quayson does not have a fair campaign process heading towards the bye-election.

This, he said, has rather created a sympathy value for him.

“For me, the NPP has more to lose than we do. Yes, it was our seat but they have actually created a sympathy value for Gyakye Quayson because they have created the impression that they are doing everything to ensure that he doesn’t have a fair election process,” he said on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday.

The former MP for the Assin North constituency was stripped off his status after a court ruling indicated that he had contested the seat while bearing dual citizenship, an identity with which one cannot occupy a government position, according to the constitution.

For the determination of the case, the court has also ruled that the case will be heard on daily basis.

Mr Segbefia said although the court is allowed to use its discretion to set dates for case hearings, there are a lot of people in remand who have not yet had their cases heard but the court rather seems more interested in the case of Mr Quayson.

“No one takes away the discretion a court has to set dates. As often as possible, yes. But ethically or even morally, how many are sitting in remand who have not seen a court rule for over a year? They don’t have rights to quickly have their cases heard?” he expressed.

According to Mr Segbefia, the court’s posture reveals a level of interference by the executive body, and has warned that it could create a problem for the country.

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According to him, both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) can build a campaign message on the success of the bye-election.

This, he said, is the reason both parties are not leaving the election to chance.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, he said “It’s a keenly contested election and what happens is that, he who wins this particular election will have a certain bragging right and will have a statement for Ghanaians.”

The Professor explained that the NPP could be able to ‘solidify their breaking the 8’ message to the electorate and for the opposition, it is a sign that the electorate are unhappy with the ruling party.

“NPP is seeking to break the eight. If they win this election, it will help them to propagate this particular statement.

“NDC is seeking to take power from the NPP and we are saying that the NPP has disappointed Ghanaians and that Ghanaians should give them another chance to come and govern the country. If they win this election it will also be a plus for them in terms of the message that they want to canvas and deepen among Ghanaians,” he said on June 24.

He stressed that the bye-election was of great interest to the two political parties, hence the increase in vote buying in the constituency.

Already, there have been allegations of vote buying by the two political parties.

The NDC has accused the NPP of completing projects which had long been halted in a bid to get the votes of the electorate.

The NDC has also been accused of distributing fertilisers and boots to a select few in the constituency ahead of the June 27 election.

The keen contest is between NPP’s Charles Opoku and the embattled legislator of the NDC, James Gyakye Quayson.

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He made the remarks at a program organised to introduce himself to the chiefs of Assin Bereku and the NDC members of the Assin North Constituency.

Mr Quayson is of the firm belief that the constituents of Assin North will endorse his candidature overwhelmingly to send a strong signal to the whole world that nobody can choose leaders for them, but themselves.

“I will give the NPP contender an uppercut to settle the debate on which party is stronger in Assin North constituency. l am expecting nothing less than 25,000 votes which is far higher than that of the over 17,000 figure in the 2020 general election,” he said.

Meanwhile, the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, hinted the plan of of former President John Mahama to give Mr Quayson a ministerial appointment when elected into office again in the 2024 general election.

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The nomination form was sold for Ghc3000.00, while the filing fee amounts to Ghc35,000.00.

In an interview with Adom News, Anita Love Obo, the NPP Central Regional representative at the Assin North party office, who also serves as the Ewutu Senya East MCE, provided details about the process of the primaries.

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