James Gyakye Quayson of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) took an early lead in the Assin North constituency by-election when the Electoral Commission (EC) started collating the results Tuesday evening.
The Returning Officer for the election, Kofi Tsibu declared James Gyakye Quayson a winner by raising his hand at the Youth Centre at Assin Bereku at 9:50 pm.
Quayson won with 17,245 votes representing 57.56 per cent of the valid votes cast with the New Patriotic Party candidate, Charles Opoku coming second with 12,630 votes representing 42.15 per cent.
The Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) candidate Sefenu Bernice Enyonam got 87 votes representing 0.29 per cent.
Mr Gyakye Quayson said his win was a win for the conscience of well-thinking Ghanaians who were not influenced by money.
In what he described as “injustices meted” out to him, he said he was unperturbed because he knew he had the support of his constituents, the NDC fraternity and even people from the NPP saying the election results has spoken.
He said the win was a reposition of confidence in him and pledged to work together with the NDC and his constituents to accelerate the development of the area.
In all, there were 29,962 valid votes out of the 30,418 votes cast representing a 74.23 per cent turnout.
In the 2020 Parliamentary election in Assin North, Gyakye Quayson won with 17,498 votes representing 55.21 per cent as against the then NPP candidate Abena Durowaa Mensah’s 14,193 votes representing 44.79 per cent.
There were early indications by 6:30 pm on Tuesday that Quayson was retaining the Assin North parliamentary seat.
Functionaries from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had earlier released some figures projecting the party’s candidate James Quayson was winning.
This threw NDC supporters in the constituency into a celebratory mood with many pouring white powder on themselves in jubilation.
We have lost it – NPP Director of IT
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Director of IT, Eric Ntori speaking at the collation centre to Joy News said the NPP has lost it and that the party will do its homework.
“Things didn’t go well for us,” he said and added the party will go back to the drawing board and come back in 2024 and “snatch” the seat back for the NPP.
Background
There used to be two constituencies in the Assin area of the Central Region – Assin South and Assin North.
Prof Dominic Fobih and Kennedy Ohene Agyapong since 2001 were the two who occupied the south and north seats respectively for three continuous terms for the NPP.
In 2012, the Electoral Commission carved the Assin Central seat and Kennedy Agyapong’s area became Assin Central.
The NDC won the Assin North seat in 2012 with Samuel Ambre.
In 2016, the NPP snatched it from the NDC with Abena Durowaa Mensah.
In 2020, the NDC won it back with James Gyakye Quayson beating the incumbent Abena Durowaa Mensah.
Quayson used to be a dual citizen with allegiance to Canada and Ghana.
Prior to the 2020 parliamentary election, he had initiated moves with an application to renounce his Canadian citizenship but had not received his renunciation certificate at the time of filing with the EC to contest.
Per the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the 1992 Constitution, since Quayson had not received his renunciation certificate, he was still a Canadian citizen at the time he filed with the Electoral Commission to contest the 2020 election, and so he was therefore not qualified.
The 2020 parliamentary election results at Assin North were therefore annulled and the seat was declared vacant.
With his Canadian citizenship renunciation certificate currently in his grip as he received it later in 2020, he was therefore now qualified to contest and so the NDC gave him the nod to re-contest.
The NPP went in for Charles Opoku.
Earlier at a press conference on Tuesday night, the National Democratic Congress (NDC ) Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi said the win was more convincing than the about 3,500 votes Gyakye Quayson won in 2020.
Jubilations continued in the communities far into the night.
