Bernard Baidoo of NDC win tense Akwatia by-election for Ghana
Wia dis foto come from, NDC
Di govment candidate for di by-election for Akwatia for di Eastern region of Ghana don win di by-election afta tense vote on 2 September.
Bernard Bediako Baidoo wey be lawyer according to di electoral commission don win by ova 2,900 votes wey represent 54% of di vote.
Im beat di opposition candidate Solomon Asumadu wey be miner and anoda candidate from di Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) Patrick Owusu.
Turn out for dis by-election bin dey low as out of di ova 52,000 voters, na ….
Results for di 2025 Akwatia by-election
Bernard Bediako Baidoo (NDC) – 18,199
Solomon Asumadu (NPP) – 15,235
Patrick Owusu (LPG) – 82
Rejected ballots – 303
Valid votes cast – 33,819
Voter turnout – 34,122
Registered Voters – ova 52,000
Wit dis result, di govment party now increase dia seats for parliament to super majority of 185 wey di opposition NPP get 88.
Bernard Bediako Baidoo tok afta di declaration say im go work to improve di state of di constituency.
Im say im go lobby for development projects for di mineral-rich constituency so say di youth go get jobs.
Wia dis foto come from, KWAME ADZAHO AMENORTOR/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES
Profile of MP-elect
Oga Bernard Baidoo na lawyer, wey dey contest di by-election on di ticket of di govment party, di NDC.
Bifor im decide to contest di bye-election, na im be secretary of di govment party for di Eastern Region.
Im na di lawyer for di NDC candidate wey challenge di result of di December 2024 election for court bifor di MP die.
Oga Bernard Bediako Baidoo im win be di fifth time di NDC bin win di Akwatia seat equal to di opposition NPP im five wins. (5-5).
Build-up to di election
Di two main political parties for Ghana; di govment National Democratic Congress (NDC) and di New Patriotic Party (NPP) jam for di bye-election for Ghana on 2 September.
Di electoral commission organise di election afta di member of parliament for di Akwatia constituency for di Eastern Region of di kontri die on 7 July 2025.
According to electoral law, if lawmaker die, im party and family gatz inform parliament, wey parliament go now write to di electoral commission say one of dia representatives don die.
Na so di commission go prepare to organise bye-election to select anoda pesin to represent di pipo for parliament.
Di 40-year-old lawmaker Ernest Kumi die afta im sick for short time.
Bifor im die, di govment party NDC bin dey challenge im seat wey dem tok say im no be 'legitimate winner' of dat election.
Dem carry di mata go court through election petition wey di court process bin dey drag bifor di opposition lawmaker die.
Di pipo of Akwatia get di chance to vote again on 2 September 2025 to elect dia representative.
Unlike di general election for 2024 wen di contest bin dey among plenty political parties, dis bye-election dey among di two main parties only.
Wia dis foto come from, BERNARD BAIDOO/SOLOMON ASUMADU/FACEBOOK
Who be di candidates for di bye-election?
- Bernard Bediako Baidoo (NDC)
Oga Bernard Baidoo na lawyer, wey dey contest di by-election on di ticket of di govment party, di NDC.
Bifor im decide to contest di bye-election, na im be secretary of di govment party for di Eastern Region.
Im na di lawyer for di NDC candidate wey challenge di result of di December 2024 election for court bifor di MP die.
Oga Bernard Bediako Baidoo say im dey hope say di constituents go vote for am to win and "bring development to di area".
- Solomon Asumadu (NPP)
Oga Solomon Asumadu dey contest di by-election for di opposition NPP.
Bifor di party endorse am, na im be di treasurer for di constituency.
Asumadu na 40 years and na graduate of di All Nations University. E also be small scale miner.
Im party tok say "we settle on Solomon sake of im get grassroots support afta we bin carry out search".
Wetin be di voting figures and patterns for di constituency
Fifty-two thousand three hundred and twenty-eight (52,328) registered voters go participate for dis by-election wit 119 polling stations.
Di Akwatia constituency na wetin sabi pipo describe as 'swing constituency' sake of no single party bin dey win evri four years.
So far from di nine elections wey dem conduct for dia, di opposition NPP bin win di seat five times against di govment party wey don win am four times.
- 1992 - NDC win di seat uncontested
- 1996- NDC win by 9,325 votes
- 2000 - NPP win by 2,680 votes
- 2004 - NPP win by 1,072 votes
- 2008 - NPP win afta dem bin re-run di vote for six polling stations sake of irregularities
- 2012 - NDC win by 294 votes
- 2016 - NPP win by 5,528 votes
- 2020 - NDC win by 1,157 votes
- 2024 - NPP win by 2,063 votes
Di stakes dey high for dis election; already for di 9th parliament, dem get 276 seats.
Di govment NDC party get 184 seats wia di opposition NPP get 88 seats afta di December 2024 elections.
Di opposition NPP get chance to make dia seats 89 if dem win; di govment party go take dia number to 185 if dem win dis vote.
Wia dis foto come from, OLYMPIADE MAISMONT/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Why dis by-election dey tense
Sake of say di constituency na 'swing constituency', both leading parties wan win am.
For 2009, dem bin re-run elections for six polling centres for di constituency, wia violence bin happun bifor and during di re-run.
For di 2024 election, kasala bin happun for di constituency afta voting.
Di govment party say dem bin win di vote, na so di opposition NPP also say dem bin win.
Di electoral commission afta dem re-collate di results bin declare di opposition candidate (wey now don die) Ernest Kumi as winner.
Di govment NDC say dem no go accept di result, na so dem bin file election petition to challenge di results.
Dat case bin dey di high court until di lawmaker die for July 2025.
Wit im death, di election petition don scatter be dat.
Na so di electoral commission dey organise dis by-election.
Di leading political pipo don storm di constituency to campaign ahead of di election.
Police bin deploy 5,500 personnel to di constituency ahead of di tense election, wey dem promise to provide security for di process.
Di police warn say "we dey hia in our numbers wit CCTV, body cameras and odas to monitor dis election. Make nobody create wahala for dis election".
Director of operations of di police, COP Vans Baba Gariba tok say "we dey hia to protect and not intimidate voters".
"Na only accredited pipo go dey allowed during di counting of votes, wia we go ensure say any pipo wey wan cause violence, we go deal wit dem."
Also Akwatia na area wey get plenty diamonds; sometime ago, na di area get one of di richest diamond deposits for West Africa.
Residents bin complain say despite di mineral resources, development neva reach di area.
Dem bin accuse di different political parties say dem no do enough to develop di area.
Wia dis foto come from, ERNEST ANKOMAH/GETTY IMAGES
Call for peace
Di National Peace Council don engage leadership of di two main parties ahead of dis election.
Inside one statement, di council tok say "make all stakeholders make sure say dem no go compromise di peace and security for Akwatia".
"We dey continue to preach di message say make all di parties and stakeholders do dia work within di law."
Apart from di peace council, oda sabi groups and ogbonge pipo bin add dia voices to call for peace.
Di institute of Democratic Development (Ideg), di Civic Forum Initiative (CFI) and local chiefs don tok say "make pipo vote peacefully witout violence."
