Quayson stretches NPP: 2020 and by-election statistics revealing 

The National Democratic Parliamentary Candidate, Mr James Gyakye Quayson has won the Assin North by-election.  

The votes collated by the Electoral Commission (EC) and declared by its returning officer on Tuesday night, had the embattled candidate winning with 17,245 votes, representing 57.56% of the valid votes cast. 

Mr Charles Opoku, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, polled 12,630 votes representing 42.15%.  

Sefenu Bernice Enyonam, the candidate of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), could only manage 87 votes, representing 0.29%.  

Quayson’s 17,245 votes in the by-election is 253 less than the 17,498 votes he polled in 2020.

There was spontaneous jubilation by supporters of Mr Quayson even before the EC’s declaration.  

Assin Bereku, the District capital was set agog by jubilant NDC members, supporters, faithful, well-wishers, and sympathizers even before Electoral Commission (EC) made the official declaration.  

But in per centage terms, the by-election recorded 57.56% for Quayson higher than the 55.2% in 2020.

Akufo-Addo won with 16,067 (50.81%) votes

President Akufo-Addo won with 16,067 votes representing 50.81% while ex-President John Mahama obtained 15,014 votes which represent 47.48%.

Quayson polled more votes than President Akufo-Addo in 2020

The figures show that Quayson polled more votes than even President Akufo-Addo which signals the NDC candidate popularity in the constituency.

His 17,498 votes is 1, 431 votes more than President Akufo-Addo who won the constituency in 2020 with 16, 067 votes.

Quayson also secured 2,484 more votes than former president John Mahama who had 15,014 votes in 2020.

Gyakye Quayson won with 17,498 (55.2%) votes

In the parliamentary elections, Quayson polled 17,498 votes representing 55.2% while NPP’s Abena Durowaa Mensah secured 14,193 votes which represents 44.8%.

This means Quayson beat Durowaa Mensah with 3, 305 votes in 2020.

In the by-election, Quayson’s 17,245 votes is 4,868 more than the 12,630 obtained by Opoku.

Valid votes in the by-election is 29,962 which is 1,729 less than the 31,691 votes

Opoku’s 12,630 votes is 1,563 less than 14, 193 obtained by Abena Durowaa Mensah in 2020.

While NDC’s Quayson lost 253 votes in the by-election compared to 2020, NPP’s votes depreciated by 1,563 votes.

Also, while Quayson beat Durowaa Mensah by 3,305 votes difference in 2020, he extended that gain by beating Opoku by 4,615 votes difference.

It means Quayson added 1,310 more votes in the buy election when it comes to the difference between him and the NPP candidates.

It appears some NPP supporters who voted in 2020 did not vote in the by-election.

It could also be that either the NPP is losing grounds in the constituency because of internal rifts or Quayson is gaining more popularity by the day.

Supreme Court ruling on Quayson

The by-election follows the orders of the Supreme Court to Parliament to expunge James Gyaakye Quayson’s name from the records of Parliament, creating an opportunity for a new representative to step into the role.

The unanimous decision of the seven-member panel delivered in April 2023, was authored by Justice Nene Amegatcher, with Justice Jones Dotse presiding and Justices Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi and Barbara Ackah-Yensu, as members.

Again, the Supreme Court ruled by 5-2 majority decision on 13 April 2022 that James Gyakye Quayson could not continue to sit in the house as MP for Assin North.

It was the considered view of the court that Article 94(2) (a) of the 1992 Constitution, which bars a person who owes allegiance to another country from becoming an MP takes effect at the time the Electoral Commission (EC) opens nomination and not during the election or the swearing-in of MPs in Parliament.

In view of that, the court held that Mr Quayson was constitutionally barred from contesting the Assin North seat because in October 2020 when the EC opened nominations for persons to file to contest, he failed to renounce his Canadian citizenship before filing to contest.

“We state without any equivocation that Article 94(2) (a) means that to be qualified to be a Member of Parliament, a citizen of Ghana must not hold any other citizenship at the time when nominations are opened by the Electoral Commission for registration of candidates for election as Members of Parliament,” the court held.

“Since the first defendant [Gyakye Quayson] had not received his certificate of renunciation as a Canadian citizen as of October 9, 2020, then he was not qualified to be a Member of Parliament at the time he filed his nomination papers, at the time he stood for elections, and at the time he was declared as elected Member of Parliament, because he owed allegiance to another country as at October 9, 2020, the date when he should have satisfied the qualification criteria,” the court held

He had appealed a Cape Coast High Court ruling that nullified his election in 2020 and ordered a by-election following a petition.

The Assin North Constituency was carved out of the then Assin Central Constituency in 2012.

260 settlements

About 260 settlements make up the constituency, including Assin Bereku, the district capital, Assin Akonfudi, Assin Praso and Assin Kushea, among others.

Assin North had 41,169 registered voters with 99 polling centres and the turnout was generally high. 

The polls were largely peaceful, watched by heavy police presence, with the NPP and NDC deploying high-level officials as polling station agents. 

The presiding members of various polling centres described the election as peaceful, credible and transparent and commended the media and police for their contributions.