According to Richard Ahiagbah, the New Patriotic Party’s Director of communications, Assin North residents will support the ruling NPP in the upcoming by-election.

He claims they will not pick an opposition group that has slowed down the contituency’s growth over the past six years.

“Assin North will not vote for an opposition MP whose party in the last 6 years has frustrated accelerated development for the good people of Assin North. No, Assin North shall vote for NPP on June 27th because NPP and Assin North are one!”, he tweeted.

The by-election is scheduled for Tuesday, June 27, according to the Ghanaian Electoral Commission (EC).

Following the Attorney General’s letter to the Speaker on Wednesday, May 17, informing him of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah, the Clerk of Parliament, declared the seat vacant.

The EC announced that nominations for potential candidates will be accepted from Monday, June 12 to Wednesday, June 14 from 9:00am to 12:00pm and from 2:00pm to 5:00pm each day in a press release issued exactly two weeks later.

“The filing fee for the election is Ten Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢10,000.00) per candidate,” the Chairperson, Jean Mensa, said in the press release. and added that “All completed nomination forms are expected to be delivered in quadruplicate.”

Parliament To Move Into ‘Drug Lords’ Era

Atik Mohammed, a former acting General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC) issued a warning against politicians buying voters’ or party delegates’ votes with money.

Atik Mohammed was concerned that money in politics in Ghana would one day put people in danger. He specifically mentioned the risk that drug lords would be chosen to run the nation, if the standard for winning elections was determined by who had the money to buy votes.

“We will be having drug lords in Parliament,” he exclaimed while making his submissions in an interview.

He believes that in order to prevent anything from endangering the nation’s democracy, the politics of money ought to be restrained. Atik counseled the politicians not to buy votes but to let their work speak for them.

“In fact, democracy is now being reduced to the highest bidder. You can win elections when you have money and it robs us of quality representation…you can be empty as far as issues go but if you have money to pay the electorates, they will vote for you and that is why I am sad that monetization places our democracy in danger.

“Let the people judge you for your works. If you feel your work is encouraging, why do you want to induce them? Why do you want to entice people to vote for you?”
Atik Mohammed

But the National Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Abdul Salam Mustapha, denied reports that the party distributed cups of rice or cash, when its candidate won the Kumawu by-election.

Following the passing of the member of parliament for the seat, a by-election was held at Kumawu in the Ashanti Region. Ernest Yaw Anim, a candidate for the NPP, won.

However, videos emerged during the election showing some delegates receiving cups of rice purportedly to cast their ballots for the candidate. That appears to have motivated Atik Mohammed’s response to whoever had the money, ascending to the position of power in parliament, and then forming “Drug Lords” within the parliamentary system.

Kwesi Pratt, a seasoned journalist, claimed that the rice was “tu gyimii,” or rice that, when cooked in small amounts, produces much.

Abdul Salam Mustapha emphasized that the party never shared rice because it was freely distributed in response to the rumors. He clarified that the incident that has been connected to the NPP was a result of a person’s private vow to the delegates.

He claimed that a specific NPP volunteer made the decision to provide rice to the delegates in order to carry on his mother’s heritage. He explained that his mother was a devoted supporter of the NPP and that everytime she ran for office, she would give out stuff to the electorates.

“So, as party, we never had any direct involvement in sharing rice and this one I say on authority and for the records. It was never in our line of activities to share rice.”
Abdul Salam Mustapha