By Franklin Asare-Donkoh
All is set for the Akwatia by-election scheduled for tomorrow in the Eastern Region, according to Ghana’s electoral management body, the Electoral Commission (EC).
With memories of the violent incidents that marred the Ablekuma North Constituency’s 19 polling station rerun still fresh, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Christian Tetteh Yohono, has deployed more than 5,000 uniformed and plainclothes officers to Akwatia and its surrounding areas to maintain law and order before, during and after the polls.
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has nominated Solomon Kwame Asumadu, popularly known as Owuo, a 40-year-old licensed small-scale gold miner, while the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is presenting Bernard Bediako Baidoo, a lawyer, for the contest.
The by-election was triggered by the death of the constituency’s MP, Ernest Yaw Kumi, in July 2025. Although three political parties are contesting, analysts have described the race as a straight fight between the NDC and NPP.
While the outcome of the by-election will not affect the NDC’s two-thirds majority in Parliament, nor alter the NPP’s minority status, the contest is seen as a battle for bragging rights in a constituency that has historically swung between the two parties.
Since 1996, both the NDC and NPP have each won the Akwatia seat four times. The NPP was victorious in 2000, 2004, 2016 and 2024, while the NDC won in 1996, 2008, 2012 and 2020. This record has made Akwatia one of the country’s most competitive constituencies.
Both first-time candidates, Mr Asumadu and Mr Baidoo, have toured communities across the constituency to sell their campaign messages.
An estimated 52,328 registered voters are expected to cast their ballots across 119 polling stations.
Pre-election surveys conducted by Sanity Africa and Global InfoAnalytics suggest a narrow victory for the NDC’s Mr Baidoo. However, the NPP remains determined to retain the seat, formerly held by the late Ernest Yaw Kumi.
By midnight tomorrow, Ghanaians will know who walks away with the bragging rights.
