The Akwatia by-election has become more than a local contest. It now symbolizes the fragility of Ghana’s democracy when political ambition overrides the duty to protect peace.
IMANI Africa contributor and market researcher Kay Codjoe believes Akwatia represents more than just an ordinary constituency.
To him, the town embodies the fragility of Ghana’s democracy, where the drive for political power often threatens to outweigh the responsibility of safeguarding peace.
From the violent rerun of ballots in 2008 to the tensions surrounding the current by-election, Akwatia’s story has always been marked by both opportunity and volatility.
As another vote approaches, the shadows of past unrest are resurfacing, raising concerns about whether trust and security can withstand the pressures of partisan rivalry.
“The late Ernest Yaw Kumi’s passing should have united a town in grief. Instead, even at his memorial rites on August 29, tempers flared. Reports of NDC Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah nearly being attacked by NPP sympathizers turned a solemn remembrance into a spark of hostility.
“That image alone, of violence attempted at the very altar of mourning, summons the question: what exactly are we fighting for?”
Kay Codjoe
As tensions rose during a period of mourning, political statements intensified. Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin remarked that while the NPP had voluntarily stepped aside in the Tamale Central contest, the NDC still intended to challenge them in Akwatia.
Codjoe observed that such a stance risked setting a dangerous precedent—one where electoral participation might be seen as a courtesy or favor traded between parties.
In his view, framing a parliamentary seat this way undermines the very foundation of the constitution and reduces elections from a constitutional right to a matter of partisan bargaining.
Rising Tensions And Heavy Security Ahead of Akwatia By-Election
Meanwhile, the rhetoric escalated further when NPP National Youth Organizer Salam Mustapha cautioned against the presence of masked police officers at polling stations, vowing they would be treated as hostile if deployed.
While framed as a call for vigilance, Codjoe argued that such remarks risk weakening public confidence in state institutions.
In a context where trust in security forces is already fragile, casting officers as potential aggressors only fuels the perception that vigilantes are the true enforcers of order.
The stakes are high. Akwatia is now bristling with one of the heaviest police deployments in the history of Ghana’s by-elections. More than 5,000 officers have been stationed in the area, armored vehicles line checkpoints, and arms have already been seized from suspicious actors.
In such a charged environment, Codjoe insisted, even casual remarks by political leaders can become sparks to ignite unrest.
“Understand without illusion: no party owns Akwatia. No vigilante group, no hired macho man, no national executive. Akwatia belongs to the voters, to the ordinary men and women who queue under the sun not to see blood spill on their soil, but to see ballots counted in dignity.”
Kay Codjoe
Codjoe reminded Ghanaians that Akwatia is still scarred by the infamous 2008 rerun, when destroyed ballots forced a repeat vote and made the constituency a national cautionary tale.
The memory of that moment lingers, warning that history could repeat itself if leaders do not exercise restraint.
He also invoked the wisdom of Tsatsu Tsikata, who once warned in his essay “Funeral Politics” that in times of mourning, the call should be “let the dead bury their dead,” not to turn funerals into political stages.
Governance Or Campaign Theatre?
The current campaign atmosphere, Codjoe said, reflects brinkmanship from both major parties.
The NDC has accused its opponents of intimidation, while the NPP claims government forces are siding with the ruling party. Both sides have paraded their leaders through Akwatia with noise, chants, and threats.
Adding to the controversy, the government recently moved to commission a new DVLA office in Akwatia. While presented as development, the timing has drawn comparisons to the 2020 Fomena by-election, when hasty government projects were rolled out in the heat of political competition.
“Different circumstances, yes, but the same temptation to turn governance into campaign theatre. Akwatia risks walking down that very path, where grief and governance become bargaining chips.”
Kay Codjoe
As September 2 approaches, Codjoe stressed that the by-election is not just about filling one parliamentary seat. It is about testing Ghana’s ability to hold credible, peaceful polls.
“Akwatia’s choice on September 2 is about who carries its voice in Parliament. But Ghana’s choice is about whether we allow a by-election to descend into another Ablekuma North, where fear replaced faith in the ballot.”
Kay Codjoe
He warned that unchecked rhetoric and hostility threaten not only political parties but also the republic itself.
He stressed that democracy cannot survive where violence shadows every polling station, security cannot last if citizens are taught to view officers as enemies, and leadership cannot endure when funerals turn into rally grounds and campaigns into threats.
Ultimately, Codjoe insisted, Akwatia must be allowed to vote in peace.
The memory of Ernest Yaw Kumi should be honored not with bloodshed or threats but with the dignity of a fair election. “If Akwatia burns on election day, the flames will not stop at its borders.”
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