The Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has said that the victory of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Assin North by-election was largely a product of sympathy.
“The victory of the NDC was largely a product of sympathy and not necessarily that the NDC is the hard choice of the people of the Assin North,” he stated.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Citi FM in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Ahiagbah said that the NDC went to the Assin North Constituency with a message that painted a bad image of the government to the constituents.
“The NDC went to Assin North seeking appeal for sympathy with the message that the NPP is persecuting James Gyakye Quayson and not the law that is dealing with him. That is a false representation of the facts of the matter and that false narrative created a situation which incited the people against the government,” he stated.
Mr Ahiagbah also argued that the NPP did not remove Mr Quayson from Parliament, but that it was his own false declarations that led to the Supreme Court ordering Parliament to expunge his name from the records of the house.
He said that the NDC was “riding on a lot of falsehoods” and that they used this to appeal to the emotions of the people in order to win the election.
“A lot of falsehoods was what the NDC was riding on, and they used that to appeal to the emotions of the people, and they carried the day,” he added.
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he is confident that sooner than later, Assin North will be blue again.
He has therefore urged members of his party, the NPP, to keep their heads up, recognising that, in a democracy, there are winners and losers.
“I urge members of my party, the New Patriotic Party, to keep their heads up, recognising that, in a democracy, there are winners and losers, and that we live to fight another day. We once held the Assin North seat, and I am confident that, sooner rather than later, Assin North will be blue again,” he stated.
Again, the NPP in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Justin Koduah Frimpong says the Assin North by-election is a wake-up call which requires the party to evaluate its approach and make rational retrospective assessments.
The NPP’s candidate Charles Opoku received 12,630 votes, representing 42.15%, while the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) candidate, James Gyakye Quayson polled 17,245 votes representing 57.56%, after the by-election on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.
The Liberal Party of Ghana’s (LPG) candidate, Sefenu Bernice Enyonam, garnered a paltry 87 votes, representing 0.29%.
The NPP in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Justin Koduah Frimpong, urged the party supporters to submit their comments and recommendations to the national secretariat for consideration and possible implementation.
