James Gyakye Quayson, the candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has a commanding lead in the by-election, according to preliminary results from the Assin North constituency.
After the requisite procedures have been completed by the Electoral Commission, it is likely that he will be declared the winner.
Along with Mr. Quayson, two others entered the race: Bernice Enyonam Sefenu of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) and Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)
Temporary outcomes from the 99 surveying stations in Assin North show Mr. Quayson getting 57.4% of the votes (17,205) while the NPP’s Charles Opoku followed with 11,389 votes (42%).
With just 85 votes (0.028%), the LPG’s Sefenu trailed badly in the provisional results.
Gyakye Quayson, who won the seat with 17,498 votes in the 2020 elections, was kicked out of Parliament prior to submitting his nomination forms because he had dual citizenship.
The High Court thusly requested Parliament to cancel his name from its records. The Electoral Commission was forced to schedule a by-election in the constituency after declaring the seat vacant.
Mr. Quayson was chosen by the opposition NDC for the by-election that will take place today, June 27, 2023, unperturbed by the setback.
The pollsters had predicted that the winner of the poll would win by a small margin, but the preliminary results show that Mr. Quayson is on his way to a win that could be a landslide.
Both the NDC and the NPP have accused the other of intimidation and buying votes. As a result of being dragged to court by the state for allegedly holding dual citizenship, Mr. Quayson is currently facing criminal charges.
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