Polster and political commentator, Ben Ephson, has intimated that a by-election in Assin North will be an interesting election to witness should incase there is any.
Commenting on if he foresees the by-elections to be characterized by drama, he averred that there is a possibility as well as a lot of political fallouts. He asserted that although the election will be interesting, it will also be very tough one.
“They [NDC] had a very high voter turn out in 2020, a little over 80 percent. A lot of things will be at stake. Mind you, we have hung Parliament and if the NPP wins, they will have one vote easier, if the NDC retains the seat the stress in [Parliament] will still be the same.”
Ben Ephson
Ben Ephson stated that although Assin North has been described as a swing constituency, he can’t say it is such. Touching on how crucial the Assin North seat is in the case of a by-election, he averred that both parties have the possibility to win the seat. He indicated that the by-election will be like a test on the popularity of government or the NDC.
“We can’t say it is swing as such. I mean the President won with 4 percent and James Gyakye won the Parliamentary with about 5 percent. So, in the event of a by-election, I suspect that the NDC will deem it as theirs, even though some criminal charges might be leveled against him [James Gyakye], you are innocent till proven guilty so, the by-election will stand on this precedence.”
Ben Ephson
Touching on the outcome if there is a by-election, he posited that if James Gyakye is cleared and decides to contest and NDC wins the seat, it will be viewed as a continuation of his term. Moreover, if the NPP wins the by-election, it will have more political advantage.
“They will say that, if you say we are not doing well, we have taken a seat you won. I think that one of the principles of the 2020 election is that, it tells you that the Ghanaian voter has matured.”
Ben Ephson
NDC will win by-election
Meanwhile, the Bawku Central Member of Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, noted that he is confident that NDC will win the Assin North seat again if there should be a by-election.
“Of course, I mean anytime that there’s finality and we’re given an indication that we have to put up a candidate, the party will put up a candidate. And we are very confident that we’ll win that seat again. So, I don’t think it is an issue that we are worried about as a Minority.”
Mahama Ayariga
Touching on the ruling by the Supreme Court, Mahama Ayariga disclosed the Minority is not pleased with the outcome of the Supreme Court’s decision because it reduces their numbers and advantage in Parliament. For the Minority, he stated that the reduction in the number is the main thing and “I think that we have been able to block a number of things using our number”.
“If you recall, since the ruling against him at the High Court and the processes in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, he could not participate in the consideration of the E-Levy and that reduces our number and forced us to stage a walkout instead. So, clearly, it has implications for the Minority by reducing our number by one.”
Mahama Ayariga
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