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NPP’s arrogant display of vote-buying, bad strategy backfired in Assin North – Prof. Gyampo
A political science lecturer at the University of Ghana says the discerning nature of the electorates in Assin North came to play at the just-ended by-election.
Prof Ransford Gyampo noted that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) seemed to have underestimated the voters’ capacity to interpret hidden meanings and intentions behind some strategies implemented.
Prof Gyampo further elaborated that the residents comprehended the motives behind the sudden surge in developmental projects and the attempts at vote buying.
As a result, the lecturer believes they chose to “teach them [NPP] a lesson” by voting for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, James Gyakye Quayson.
“The arrogant display of vote-buying; hurriedly going to construct roads, hurriedly going to commission new projects and then when you are quizzed, what you are told is that these were the projects that were already implemented and so it was already a programme that we were doing…” played a role in the decisions made by the residents.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, the Professor said considering the fact that the Assin North electorates saw what ensued in Kumawu, using the same strategy was “quite insulting to the intelligence of the people of Ghana and it’s about time they change that strategy.”
“Because we know anytime there’s going to be a by-election, shoddy roads will be constructed and the moment by-elections are over, the project will be discontinued. When you go at them then they tell you that it was on our radar. We’re going to construct it anyway, it was not because of the by-election,” he said on Thursday, June 29.
“We are not daft people. The people of Assin North, too, are not dumb. They are able to read in between the lines. So if you’re a politician and you keep on resorting to this particular stomach direction, vote-buying attitude that you cannot think to vary your strategy in the light of the fact that people are now rational, then you yourself, you are more dumb than the people you are thinking are dumb”.
This was not the only reason he believed the NDC won the election. Another factor, the political scientist says, is the ongoing legal battle against James Gyakye Quayson.
On the night before the election, President Akufo-Addo, in a last-minute attempt to ramp up support for the NPP candidate, told the residents that they risk having a Member of Parliament embroiled in legal tussles by voting for Mr Gyakye Quayson.
Prof Gyampo says this was a mistake on the president’s part as far as election strategy is concerned as he rather courted more sympathy for the NDC.
“He [Akufo-Addo] made him popular, and then given what was happening to him or what is still happening to him and the fact that you have had a whole sitting President going to make a prejudicial comment that the man is already on his way to prison forgetting that Kwame Nkrumah won an election when he was already in incarceration. And I was surprised that the President didn’t know apart from the fact that the comments were too prejudicial, he didn’t know that that comment could also elicit more sympathy for the man.”
Background
James Gyakye Quayson of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will be making a return to Parliament after his constituents kept faith with him and helped him win the keenly contested Assin North constituency by-election on Tuesday.
Officials of the Electoral Commission declared Quayson the victor, raising his hand to signal the status as NDC officials broke into their ‘Revo, Revo, has come to stay’ chorus.
Mr Quayson, ejected from Parliament last month following a Supreme Court decision to annul the 2020 constituency election, won the closely contested by-election with 17,245 votes representing 57.56% of valid votes.
His main rival, Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party polled 12,630 or 42.15% of valid votes to place second, while the Liberal Party of Ghana’s Bernice Enam Sefanu polled only 87 votes or 0.29%.
With a turnout of 74.23%, officials of the Electoral Commission (EC), in interviews shortly ahead of the declaration of results, indicated that the turnout was very high.
Credit:Myjoyonline.com
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
