Due to the subsequent parliamentary by-election in the constituency, the Assin North Constituency is currently the focus of attention in Ghanaian politics.
Bigwigs from the two largest political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which is the main opposition force, and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which is in power, have visited Assin North to canvass for votes.
According to reports, the NDC candidate, James Gyakye Quayson, was removed from parliament after the Supreme Court of Ghana ruled that he was ineligible to run in the 2020 election, and the two parties are doing everything in their power to win the Assin North seat, which was declared vacant after.
While the stalled projects in the constituency are being continued by the NPP government as part of its efforts to ensure that its candidate, Charles Opoku, wins the election, which is set for June 29, 2023, the candidate himself is not remaining passive.
Charles Opoku is now paying for both the registration of new users and the renewal of National Health Insurance Cards (NHIS), according to a news report by Okay FM.
According to the report, Opoku is also clearing electricity tariff arrears owed by the people he visits.
“Charles Opoku is registering the constituents to the National Health Insurance Scheme. Aside from that his campaign team is moving from house to house and if you owe electricity tariffs, they will pay it for you,” the UTV Central Regional correspondent, Ibrahim Dadzie, said in Twi.
If the NPP candidate’s actions are accurate, it is unclear whether they constitute vote buying.
In a related news, The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mavis Hawa Koomson, has endorsed Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s bid to lead the NPP in the general elections of 2024.
The Vice President, according to her, is the only and best candidate who will be approved by the ruling party.
Dr. Bawumia is the only candidate for the NPP flagbearership, according to Hawa Koomson, a member of parliament for Awutu Senya East, who has the vision necessary to fill President Akufo-Addo’sshoesand run the government.