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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Bernard Bediako Baidoo, has emerged winner of the parliamentary by-election held on Tuesday in Akwatia, Eastern Region of Ghana.
Baidoo, a lawyer and the constituency secretary of the NDC, polled 18,199 votes out of a total of 33,516 valid votes to clinch victory. His closest rival, Solomon Kwame Asumadu of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), garnered 15,235 votes. Patrick Owusu of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) finished a distant third with 82 votes.
The election also recorded 303 rejected ballots.
Addressing journalists after the official declaration, Baidoo expressed gratitude to the people of Akwatia for the mandate and said he had been confident of victory from the onset. He promised to champion development for the constituency and said one of his priorities would be promoting lawful mining activities in the area, which is traditionally known for its diamond resources.
“It’s a clear mandate and we won’t take it for granted,” Baidoo said.
The by-election became necessary following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Ernest Yaw Kumi of the NPP, who won the seat during the 2024 general election. Voting took place across 119 polling stations, opening at 7:00 a.m. and closing at 5:00 p.m., with deployment of election materials starting as early as 4:00 a.m. By 6:00 a.m., most polling stations within Akwatia township had completed their setup.
The exercise was largely peaceful, though there was a minor scuffle between some NPP and NDC executives at the Akwatia Lorry Station Polling Centre in the afternoon. Security operatives quickly intervened to restore calm.
Akwatia is regarded as a traditional swing seat in Ghanaian politics, having alternated between the NDC and NPP since the beginning of the Fourth Republic in 1992.
In the first parliamentary election of 1992, Gilbert Kwasi Agyei of the NDC won the seat, followed by another NDC victory in 1996 through Alhaji Mohammed Erzuah Siam. However, in 2000, the NPP broke the dominance when Kinston Akomeng Kissi captured the seat and retained it in 2004.
In 2008, Kofi Asare of the NPP won in an election that was highly disputed, leading to a rerun in six polling stations before his victory was confirmed. The NDC regained the seat in 2012 with Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed.
The NPP struck back in 2016 through Mercy Adu-Gyamfi, before the NDC reclaimed it in 2020 with Henry Yiadom Boakye. In 2024, Ernest Kumi of the NPP snatched the seat, only for the latest by-election to swing it back to the NDC through Baidoo.
The constant back-and-forth between the two main parties highlights Akwatia’s status as a fiercely contested constituency where no single party has maintained long-term dominance. Analysts say the NDC’s latest victory could boost the party’s morale ahead of future elections, particularly as it shows their ability to reclaim ground lost to the NPP.
For Baidoo, his victory speech signals a focus on development and local economic issues, particularly mining, which remains central to Akwatia’s economy. His call for lawful mining also speaks to the growing concern about illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, which has damaged lands and water bodies in parts of Ghana.
As the NDC celebrates this win, attention will now turn to how Baidoo manages the expectations of his constituents and consolidates his party’s presence in the region. For the NPP, the result will serve as a reminder of the need to strengthen grassroots engagement in swing areas like Akwatia, where electoral fortunes shift regularly.
