Legal practitioner and member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal team, Bernard Bediako Baidoo, has been elected the party’s parliamentary candidate for the upcoming Akwatia by-election.
Baidoo emerged victorious in a tightly contested primary held on Monday, August 4, polling 380 votes to edge past Erasmus Ali Korney, who received 366 votes. Former Member of Parliament and the party’s 2024 parliamentary candidate, Henry Yiadom Boakye, placed third with 232 votes.
The primary was necessitated by the untimely death of sitting New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament, Ernest Yaw Kumi, in July 2025. Kumi had recaptured the Akwatia seat for the NPP in the December 2024 general election, defeating the NDC’s Henry Yiadom Boakye.
With the seat now vacant and the by-election scheduled for September 2025, the choice of candidate was seen as crucial for the NDC’s bid to reclaim the constituency from the governing NPP and reinforce its dominance in Parliament.
Baidoo, who also serves as a constituency executive, had previously represented Henry Yiadom Boakye in court as legal counsel. In a remarkable political development, Baidoo’s victory over his former client and the relatively strong showing by political newcomer Korney suggest that the Akwatia NDC branch is undergoing a strategic and generational shift.
The results were officially declared by the Eastern Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, Appiah Baffoe, who confirmed Baidoo’s nomination following the vote count. Baidoo also urged unity within the party ahead of the by-election.
The Akwatia contest featured a diverse range of candidates. Erasmus Ali Korney, a businessman and first-time aspirant, ran a competitive campaign that nearly upset the more established contenders.
Henry Yiadom Boakye, who represented the constituency on the NDC ticket before losing to Ernest Yaw Kumi in 2024, had hoped for a return to Parliament. However, his third-place finish reflected a shift in the internal dynamics of the NDC in Akwatia, with delegates appearing to favour fresh leadership.
The by-election is poised to be a major political showdown, given its implications for the broader national picture. The NDC currently holds 184 seats in Parliament, while the NPP holds 87.
Four Independent MPs also align with the NDC caucus, giving the ruling party a commanding supermajority. Winning Akwatia would further consolidate the NDC’s grip on the legislature and bolster President John Dramani Mahama’s policy agenda.
The NPP, meanwhile, has already chosen its candidate. Businessman and constituency treasurer Solomon Asumadu was earlier acclaimed unopposed to lead the party into the by-election.
Asumadu is expected to present a strong challenge, as the NPP aims to retain the seat it narrowly won in 2024 and demonstrate that it remains competitive despite its weakened position in Parliament.
However, the political climate in Akwatia appears to favour the NDC. According to a recent tracking poll conducted by Global InfoAnalytics between August 1 and 2, President Mahama holds a 47% job approval rating in the constituency, compared to 40% disapproval.
Fourteen per cent of voters said they had no opinion. The poll, which surveyed 2,087 voters across all 21 electoral areas in Akwatia, also found that a majority of respondents believe Ghana is heading in the right direction. It has a 99% confidence level and a margin of error of ±2.7%.
These findings suggest that the NDC is entering the by-election with some momentum, buoyed by local satisfaction with the national government and a candidate seen as both competent and connected to grassroots concerns.
Still, party officials and analysts caution that the race remains competitive and that local issues, personalities, and turnout could all shape the final outcome.
As campaign begins, both parties are expected to mobilise significant resources to win over the electorate. The Akwatia by-election has now become not only a test of the NDC’s ability to convert national approval into local gains but also a test of the NPP’s resilience in a constituency they only recently won back.
For Bernard Bediako Baidoo, winning the primary is the first step in what promises to be a high-stakes race. If successful in September, he would return the seat to the NDC and strengthen its legislative control, while also stepping into the national political spotlight as a new MP in the Mahama administration.
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