Akwatia parliamentary by-election: NDC’s Baidoo seeks redemption against NPP’s Asumadu

All is set for a face-off between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the September 2, 2025, Akwatia parliamentary by-election.

It follows the election, last Monday, of private legal practitioner Bernard Bediako Baidoo as the NDC candidate who would come against the NPP candidate, Solomon Kwame Asumadu, who was acclaimed by the party.

NDC primary

An official of the Electoral Commission (EC), John Appiah Bamfo, declared Mr Baidoo the winner after securing 380 votes to defeat his closest contender, Erasmus Koney Ali, who had 366 votes, with a third aspirant, Henry Yiadom Boakye, getting 226 votes.

A total of 975 cast their ballot, out of which three were rejected.

Contest

The EC has set September 2, 2025, to conduct a parliamentary by-election following the death of the incumbent NPP MP for Akwatia, Ernest Kumi, in July this year.

A poll released by the Head of Global Info Analytics and Pollster, Mussa Dankwah, yesterday (August 5) ahead of the September 2, 2025, Akwatia Constituency by-election indicated that the NPP candidate for the election was leading with 49.7 per cent, with the NDC candidate, Bernard Baidoo, on 43.8 per cent, while others are on 6.5 per cent.

The sample size for the poll was 2,037 and conducted in 21 electoral areas in the constituency via interviews between August 1 to 2, 2025, with a confidence level of 99 per cent and plus of 2.7 per cent margin of error.

Gratitude

Mr Baidoo told the supporters of the party to continue to remain united and work very hard to snatch the seat from the NPP at the September 2 by-election.

"My victory today is not for me alone but the entire NDC family in the constituency. We have to bury our differences and forge ahead in unity to win the seat from the NPP at the by-election," he said.

He was hopeful that the electorate would vote massively for him to support President John Dramani Mahama to deliver on his promises.

Mr Baidoo said the by-election would be a contest of hard work and ideas, hence the rank and file of the party ought to be ready to campaign vigorously to win the seat from the NPP.

“We must be ready to work hard, go out and sell the good news of the NDC and the policies of President John Mahama to the electorate in the constituency,” he indicated.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, congratulated the delegates for the peaceful conduct of the primary and pledged to work hard to ensure that the NDC won the seat back during the by-election in September.

The National Organiser of the party, Joseph Yamin, said the electorate in Akwatia had been given another opportunity to decide who represented them in Parliament.

NPP

For his part, Mr Asumadu urged supporters of the NPP in the constituency to bury their differences and rally behind him to retain the parliamentary seat for the party.

He stressed that his success at the polls would largely depend on the unity and massive support he would receive from party supporters.

Mr Asumadu, who is currently the Akwatia Constituency Treasurer of the NPP, made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic at Boadua near Akwatia last Friday.

Endorsement

He appealed to registered voters from the other side of the political divide, as well as fence-sitters, to give him overwhelming endorsement to enable him to realise his objective of developing the constituency without discrimination.

He said that if given the nod, he would create employment opportunities for the youth in the constituency as his contribution towards addressing the unemployment challenge in the area.

Mr Asumadu also promised to encourage the youth who were interested in farming to venture into that profession by helping them with soft loans.

He said he was currently the most popular politician in the constituency; hence, the decision by the other NPP contestants to throw their weight behind him to help retain the parliamentary seat for the party in the upcoming by-election.

NDC threat

When asked whether the National Democratic Congress (NDC) posed a threat to his candidacy, Mr Asumadu expressed confidence that he could defeat Mr Baidoo in the by-election.

He expressed gratitude to the national, Eastern Regional and Akwatia Constituency executives of the NPP, as well as to the three contestants in the constituency who withdrew their candidacies to support him as the party’s parliamentary candidate.