A private legal practitioner Bernard Bediako Baidoo has secured the slot as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the upcoming Akwatia by-election.
He beat close competition from two other candidates after securing a total of 380 out of the total votes, on Monday August 4 at Akwatia in the Eastern Region.
He was followed closely by Erasmus Koney Ali with 366 while a former Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency Henry Yvonne Boakye garnered 226 to place third.
Interestingly, what has caught the attention of many is the relationship between Baidoo and the former MP.
Apparently, the former was the lawyer for the latter, who he represented in court last December and earlier part of year to contest the result of the December 7 parliamentary election.
It was in that legal battle that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate of that election, Ernest Yaw Kumi was cited by a Koforidua high court for contempt and was asked not to hold himself as the representative of the people until further notice.
Later, Kumi ran to the Supreme Court and he was finally allowed to hold himself as the properly elected MP.
Months on, Kumi shockingly died in July, after a short illness, accounting for the upcoming by-election on September 2
Monday’s incident free election, sets the tone for another fierce contest between the two main political parties—the NDC and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). The NPP days ago handpicked it candidate in the person of Kwame Asumadu.
The Akwatia constituency by-election is the first under this government even though in June, there was a rerun of 19 polling stations in the Ablekuma North constituency in the Greater Accra Region.
In that election, the NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn defeated the NPP’s Akua Owusu Afriyie, making her the first to snatch the seat for the first time since 1996.
Meanwhile, some sympathizers of the NDC have ahead of the election predicted a win for the NPP’s candidate after their preferred aspirant lost the NDC primary.
The resident and sympathizers in a video indicated that, the NDC shot itself in the foot after choosing the lawyer instead of Henry Boakye. They exclaimed that even though the election has not been held, the NPP has won the seat in advance implying that, they are going to vote against Baidoo.
Some have also rubbished these lamentations saying the NDC will still win the seat and that what they are agitating about is normal with people who support losing candidate.
They maintain that the performance of the government in these 7 months is enough to campaign and convince for the lawyer to bring more development to the people.
By Gifty Boateng