The recently concluded Assin North by-election has stirred controversy within a section of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as Owoahene Dominic, President of the Association of NPP National Polling Station Executives, has attributed the defeat to the promotion of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his team instead of focusing on the party's main contender in the race, Charles Opoku.
Speaking in an interview with Metro TV, Dominic expressed his disappointment, stating that the executives and organizers of the campaign team for the party seemed more interested in promoting Dr. Bawumia's presidential aspirations rather than rallying support for Charles Opoku, during their campaigns.
He stated that less attention was given to Opoku's campaign, which may have contributed to the NPP's defeat in Assin North.
Furthermore, Dominic accused Vice President Bawumia of treating Alan John Kyerematen, a former Minister for Trade and Industry and a fellow contender in the NPP presidential primaries, unfairly during the campaign.
He highlighted an incident during the last campaign where Kyerematen was delivering a speech on stage and Vice President Bawumia appeared in the crowd. Dominic claimed that the situation appeared orchestrated to disrupt and humiliate Kyerematen, which he deemed inappropriate.
He emphasized the need for fairness and equity within the party, suggesting that every candidate should be given a fair share of support and not be made to feel marginalized.
Dominic stated, "You could see that during the campaign, the leading contender, for whom we were all supposed to unite and campaign we didn’t see that but what we saw was that it was rather the vice president who was being promoted …
"Let’s say what happened on the Saturday during our last rally, we think that what happened was not good and it shouldn’t have even happened at all, that when one contender which is Mr. Alan Kyerematen was on stage giving a speech and we saw vice coming from the crowd.
"So, you see this whole thing seems like it was a plot just to disrupt and humiliate him, which is very wrong. if the party is going by its own rules then we should give everybody a fair hearing or fair share, we shouldn’t make somebody look like very special…which is very bad …so these are the things that make people very upset.”
James Gyakye Quayson has been sworn in as Member of Parliament for the Assin North constituency after the Electoral Commission declared him a winner in the election held on June 27, 2023, following the conclusion of the by-election.
According to the Electoral Commission's announcement, James Gyakye Quayson garnered a total of 17,245 votes, representing 57.56% of the total votes cast. His closest contender, Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), received 12,630 votes, accounting for 42.15% of the votes. Bernice Enyonam Sefenu of the Liberal Party Ghana (LPG) secured 87 votes, which represented 0.29% of the overall tally.
The by-election in Assin North was held to fill the parliamentary seat left vacant following a legal battle that questioned Quayson's eligibility to hold office due to dual citizenship concerns.
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice president
