Akwatia by-election: Bediako breaks diamond deadlock as NDC wins seat

By Ruth Serwaa Asare

Akwatia, often described as Ghana’s political diamond, has once again lived up to its reputation for drama and unpredictability. In the fiercely contested by-election held on 2 September 2025, Bernard Bediako of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) emerged victorious, reclaiming the seat for the party.

Bediako secured 18,119 votes, while his closest contender, Solomon Asumadu of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), polled 15,235. The results, announced late in the evening by the Electoral Commission, marked a stunning turnaround for the NDC in a constituency long known for its political swings.

The by-election was triggered by the sudden passing of NPP’s Ernest Yaw Kumi, who had won the seat in the 2024 general election. His death, just six months later, set the stage for one of the most hotly contested votes in recent memory.

Across 119 polling stations, voters turned out under tight security. A total of 5,500 police officers were deployed to maintain order throughout the constituency. Police reported only one arrest – an individual accused of tearing down a candidate’s posters at a polling station. Aside from this isolated incident, security agencies described the polls as peaceful and largely incident-free.

All eyes were on Akwatia not only because of the by-election, but because the constituency has been one of Ghana’s most unpredictable battlegrounds. Since 1992, the seat has swung between the NPP and the NDC, with results almost evenly split. The NPP has won four times, while the NDC has now won five.

The diamond mining town has long mirrored Ghana’s national mood: when business thrives, the NPP gains; when frustrations peak, the NDC surges.

A quick snapshot of Akwatia’s past results:

• 1992: NDC’s Gilbert Kwasi Agyei entered Parliament unopposed after the NPP boycotted the election.
• 1996: NDC’s Alhaji Mohammed Erzuah Siam defeated NPP’s Dr Kwame Kyei Baffour by more than 9,000 votes.
• 2000: NPP’s Kinston Akomeng Kissi won on the back of John Kufuor’s national victory.
• 2004: Kissi retained the seat, narrowly beating NDC’s Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed.
• 2008: Baba Jamal bounced back, taking the seat after a controversial rerun.
• 2016: NPP’s Ama Sey made history, defeating Baba Jamal by more than 5,500 votes.
• 2024: NPP’s Ernest Yaw Kumi reclaimed the seat, though the case ended up in the Supreme Court.
• 2025: Bernard Bediako restored NDC’s dominance in a dramatic by-election.

With this outcome, the NDC has once again tilted the balance, proving that in Akwatia, no party can ever claim permanent ownership of the seat.

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