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Assin North by-election: Gyakye Quayson could emerge victorious –Prof Kobby Mensah
Political marketing expert at the University of Ghana says the current momentum in the Assin North constituency could result in the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) James Gyakye Quayson winning the by-election.
According to Prof. Kobby Mensah, this is based on three key indicators which favour the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) candidate.
One of the factors, per his assessment, hinges on the aggressiveness the party has attached to the campaign.
“Judging from how intense they have been in that community,” Prof Mensah believes the odds could be in their favor.
Mr Quayson is facing criminal charges following a Supreme Court ruling that the Electoral Commission acted unconstitutionally in allowing him to contest the 2020 parliamentary election without proof of him renouncing his Canadian Citizenship.
Speaking on Joy FM‘s Super Morning Show, Prof Mensah stressed that recent development since the state commenced the prosecution of the ousted MP has courted some empathy among the constituents in addition to what he had done for the community.
“If you have to stretch it, it looks like there’s quite a lot of empathy on the side based on what he’s done in the community and based on the fact that he’s in court. So you find that from the tapes and the footage that is actually coming from the community. Of course, I could be wrong but it looks like there is no sort of anger against him, and that actually puts him in a good position,” he said on Monday.
Finally, the University of Ghana lecturer believes the sentiment around the performance of the government as a whole is likely to play out in this by-election.
He explained that the constituents may also be suffering the effects of the economic downturn which may eventually influence their choice in tomorrow’s poll.
“Sadly, there is a general discontent against the government itself. It is not any secret. That is not, you know, anything that people do not know, all of us are very much aware that the government is not in the good books of many people, including the people of Assin North,” he insisted.
“If you take away the demographics, which of course, both candidates actually share the same origin, where they come from and then if you add the other things that I’ve talked about – economic issues and sentiments against the government, obviously the kind of empathy that people are sharing for the MP – I think it puts rather the NDC candidate ahead of the NPP without any poll conducted.”
James Gyakye Quayson is going up against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, Charles Opoku.
For the constituents, this by-election represents a pivotal moment in shaping the future of Assin North and Ghana as a whole.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Richard Appiah, the footballer who killed two children and stored part of their bodies in a fridge at Abesim in the Bono Region in 2021 has been handed a lifetime sentence.
This was after a five member panel of judges at the Accra High Court returned a verdict of guilty against the convict.
Appiah, 32, also a draughtsman would spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of murder.
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BY MALIK SULLEMANA
