Story: News Desk
Voters in the Kumawu constituency are taking part in a by-election today, May 23, 2023, to find a replacement for their Member of Parliament (MP), Philip Basoah, who passed on in March.
Voting officially started at 7 am on Tuesday at various polling stations in the constituency.
The two main political parties, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have all put in various efforts seeking to annex the parliamentary seat.
Following the demise of Philip Basoah, who was buried over the weekend, the Electoral Commission (EC) issued a notice of poll to conduct a by-election to elect an MP for the constituency.
The EC which is organising the by-election, has assured that all necessary materials are ready for the by-election.
The parliamentary candidates include: Akwasi Amankwaa popularly known as ‘Tom Cee’, of NDC, NPP’s Ernest Yaw Anim, and two other independent candidates both with the same name, Kwaku Duah.
The two main political parties prior to the by-election hit the grounds to canvass votes for their parliamentary candidates.
They both introduced their parliamentary candidate to the chiefs and people of the area.
The flagbearer of the NDC John Dramani Mahama, called on NDC members in Kumawu to vote massively for the party’s parliamentary candidate, Kwasi Amankwaa popularly called ‘Tom Cee’.
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has also admonished New Patriotic Party supporters to turn out in their numbers on Tuesday, May 23, to vote overwhelmingly for the party’s parliamentary candidate for Kumawu, Ernest Yaw Anim.
Interacting with NPP supporters in Kumawu ahead of the by-election, the Vice President noted that they wanted to show Ghana that Kumawu is NPP’s territory and that they were poised to retain the seat
Both NDC and NPP have pledged to play their respective roles in ensuring peace during and after the Kumawu by-election scheduled for Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
The assurance came after a meeting between the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, and the leadership of the contesting political parties ahead of the polls.
The National Youth Organiser of the NDC, George Opare Addo had intimated that the NDC would likely pull a surprise and cause an upset by winning the by-election in Kumawu.
Mr. Addo indicated that the hard work the NDC has put into the by-election will propel the party to victory.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Addo said: “There will be a surprise in Kumawu and there will be a new MP of the constituency belonging to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).”
The Director of Elections of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Evans Nimako, had stated that the NPP was confident that the people of Kumawu will reward its parliamentary candidate for Kumawu with their votes in Tuesday’s by-election due to the level of development in the area.
Mr. Nimako stressed that the party had put in a lot of work and conducted extensive consultation in the constituency and was confident of a massive win in the May 23 by-election.
