Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Baafi, has alleged that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lost the Akwatia by-election due to vote buying, claiming that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) “paid their way through.”
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Mr. Baafi said, “We lost the Akwatia by-election because we couldn’t pay money; the NDC paid their way through. The MP-elect wasn’t even visible on the grounds, yet money played a central role in deciding votes.”
He expressed concern over the increasing influence of money in elections.
“Elections have become very dangerous, as people now resort to vote buying before they can win. That’s exactly what happened in Akwatia.”
Mr. Baafi explained that he and the NPP campaign team worked hard to engage voters.
“I was there for three weeks. We campaigned very well, engaged the voters, and the work we did was massive. Our party people were very involved and confident that the people would reward them.”
However, he alleged that the NDC’s strategy focused on monetary influence rather than voter engagement.
“The NDC candidate’s engagement and visibility were low, but even after voters accepted them and wanted to vote, they demanded money first. I have evidence to support this—some voters were only willing to vote after receiving payment.”
On claims that the loss was due to poor communication by the NPP candidate, Mr. Baafi disagreed.
“My candidate knows how to communicate effectively, so it was not a communications issue as speculated. I firmly believe that money ruled and decided the votes, which is why the NPP lost.”
The Electoral Commission’s certified results showed Bernard Bediako Baidoo of the NDC winning the by-election with 18,199 votes, while the NPP’s Kwame Asumadu polled 15,235 votes.
Source: Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy
