The National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for the Assin North constituency, James Gyakye Quayson has won the Tuesday, June 27, 2023 by-election.
He won the contest as against Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Bernice Enyonam Sefenu of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG). Mr. Quayson got 17,245 votes, representing 57.56 percent of the total votes cast.
In the closely contested by-election, Charles Opoku received 12,630 votes, representing 42.15 percent of the total votes cast, while Bernice Enyonam Sefenu of the LPG received a pitiful 87 votes, representing 0.29 percent.
Quayson hand was lifted to show victory by the Electoral Commission officials who proclaimed him the winner as hos supporters chanted, “Revo, Revo, has come to stay.”
Gyakye Quayson, who received 17,498 votes to win the seat in the 2020 elections, was expelled from Parliament for holding a second citizenship before submitting his nomination papers.
Charles Opoku, the New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate for the constituency, received 12,630 votes, representing 42.15% of the total valid votes, to finish in second place, while Bernice Enam Sefanu of the Liberal Party of Ghana received only 87 votes, representing 0.29%.
In interviews conducted before the results were announced, Electoral Commission (EC) officials stated that the turnout was exceptionally high at 74.23%.
Dr. Serebuor Quaicoe, the director of elections, reported that early voting sites saw voter turnout of above 50%.
Quayson, the winner, was not eligible to have run in the 2020 constituency election, according to the Supreme Court, which declared the election invalid. As a result, it mandated that James Gyakye Quayson’s name be removed from the list of lawmakers.
The National Democratic Congress campaigned for Quayson again despite warnings that he would go to jail as a result of the ongoing criminal case he is facing in court, dismissing the assertion made primarily by the ruling New Patriotic Party that he was a potential jail candidate.
In a unanimous decision, the 7-judge court said that “the qualification of holding only Ghanaian citizenship must be present at the time of nomination, and not any date thereafter.”
