Legal practitioner Bernard Bediako Baidoo of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has emerged victorious in the closely contested Akwatia by-election.
The private legal practitioner polled 18,199 votes (about 54%), marking a key breakthrough as the NDC reclaims the crucial swing seat from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Mr Baidoo’s close contender, Solomon Kwame Asumadu of the NPP, polled 15,235, and Owusu Patrick of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) garnered 82 votes.
His win now repositions the NDC in the swing constituency where the NPP enjoyed a slim 5-4 edge in parliamentary representation since 1992.
This victory follows a tightly fought campaign and hotly contested primaries in August, where Baidoo secured the NDC ticket by defeating rivals Erasmus Koney Ali and former MP Henry Yiadom Boakye.
In the 2024 general election, the late Ernest Yaw Kumi of the NPP won the Akwatia parliamentary seat by a margin of 2,063 votes, defeating the NDC’s Henry Yiadom Boakye.
Mr Kumi received approximately 19,269 votes, while Boakye garnered around 17,206 votes.
However, the day did not go down without some drama.
Early in the day, police arrested a man accused of tearing down a candidate’s campaign posters at a polling station.
The swift intervention diffused what could have escalated into voter disruption.
At the Akwatia lorry station in the Vawaso Electoral Area, a heated confrontation unfolded between Alhaji Osman Masawudu (NPP Third National Vice Chairman) and an escort of Chief Sofo Azorka (NDC Vice Chairman).
The scuffle reportedly took place in full view of police, who quickly intervened to restore calm