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Sheer opulence, vote-buying caused NPP’s defeat in Assin North – Mussa Dankwah
Executive Director of Global Info Analytics, Mussa .K. Dankwah, has outlined major causes that led to the defeat of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Assin North by-election.
The pollster prior to the election disclosed that, per their latest poll, the New Patriotic Party’s candidate Charles Opoku was leading by a slight margin.
During an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Mussa Dankwah said sheer opulence exhibited by some of the NPP members, vote-buying amongst other factors led to the party’s defeat.
“It was a combination of many factors: the perception that they are persecuting James Gyakye Quayson, the fact that they left development projects in Kumawu [uncompleted],and they hurriedly came to Assin North and another factor was the sheer opulence and sprinkling of money in the constituency. It made some people very angry,” the pollster told sit-in host of Eyewitness News, Nii Larte Lartey, on Wednesday.
He further highlighted the reasons Charles Opoku lost the election and explained that majority of his demography didn’t vote especially strongholds of the NPP.
“James Gyakye won the people who were undecided, most of them, and Charles Opoku lost grounds to Quayson on the basis that his demography didn’t come out to vote, especially strongholds of NPP such as Kushea and Breku, where they were hoping to win, but they didn’t. These are the reasons James Gyakye Quayson outperformed,” he stated.
Mr. Quayson polled 17,245 votes representing 57.56%, while Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) received 12,630 votes, representing 42.15% after the by-election on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.
The Liberal Party of Ghana’s (LPG) candidate, Sefenu Bernice Enyonam, garnered a paltry 87 votes, representing 0.29%.
The by-election became necessary after Gyakye Quayson was kicked out of Parliament for having dual citizenship prior to filing his forms to contest in the 2020 elections in the Assin North constituency.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
