Assin North: Pollsters Divided Over Which Party Will Win As Last-Minute Preparation By NDC And NPP Intensifies

• There is a division in opinion polls on the outcome of the Assin North by-election among pollsters in Ghana
• While the Executive Director of Global InfoAnalytics tips the NDC to win more votes on June 27, Ben Ephson tips the NPP candidate to win
• Earlier, both pollsters had predicted that the outcome of the Assin North by-election would be difficult to predict

The by-election in Assin North has divided opinions among pollsters about whether the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) will edge out the incumbent National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

With less than 24 hours to the crucial polls, some surveys claiming to have gathered opinions from delegates in the Central Region constituency tip the NDC to win, while others say the NPP stands a better chance.

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Contestants for the Assin North parliamentary seat

The election is between the deposed NDC MP for the area, James Gyakye Quayson and NPP's Charles Opoku.

Quayson's victory in 2020 has been declared null and void by the Supreme Court because when he filed to contest the seat, he still held Canadian citizenship alongside Ghanaian citizenship.

Aspects of the 1992 Constitution have been interpreted to mean that holding the citizenship of another country is equivalent to declaring allegiance to that state. The constitution makes it criminal for some public officeholders, like parliamentarians, to swear allegiance to another state.

The NDC retained James Gyakye Quayson for the seat because of his popularity and so did not hold a primary to elect a candidate.

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However, the NPP held a primary at Akonfudi on June 7, 2023, and elected electrical engineer, Charles Opoku, as the parliamentary candidate for the by-election.

40-year-old Opoku from Assin Bereku polled 397 votes to beat Frederick Freeman Amoah-Kyei, who managed to get only 136 votes.

The Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) is represented by Bernice Enyonam Sefenu, but political watchers say she is not a force to reckon with in the scheme of things.

Conflicting reports from pollsters on Assin North

Executive Director at Global InfoAnalytics said NPP's Charles Opoku leads in seven out of 18 electoral areas, while NDC's James Gyakye Quayson leads in 11. This tips NDC to win the by-election on Tuesday.

"Between 6th and 25th of June, we interviewed 10,049 voters in Assin North. More Insight in the coming days and weeks," he posted on Facebook on June 25, 2023.

On June 25, he posted on Facebook, where he has been actively updating Ghanaians on the results from the survey from Global InfoAnalytics, that Charles Opoku has dropped by 19% in opinion polls.

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In May, another pollster, Ben Ephson, had predicted the outcome of the Assin North by-election would be difficult to predict.

But he declared recently that the NPP candidate, Charles Opoku, will edge out Quayson on June 27.

James Gyakye Quayson faces High Court over criminal charges

Meanwhile, the criminal prosecution of James Gyakye Quayson over his dual citizenship brouhaha started in court on Friday, June 16, 2023.

The deposed NDC MP for Assin North is facing charges of perjury, the deceit of a public officer and false declaration, among others.

The Supreme Court in May 2023 declared that the election of the MP in 2020 was null and void because he still held dual citizenship when he filed to contest the legislative position.

High Court throws out Tsikata's arguments against the daily trial of Gyakye Quayson's case

Also, YEN.com.gh has reported in a separate story that lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata failed to get the court to back down its decision to hear the criminal trial of Gyakye Quayson every day.

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The high court has, meanwhile, agreed to hear the case every day from July 4, 2023, to fast-track the process.

Despite the setback, the legal team of James Gyakye Quayson said the ruling was acceptable because the July 4 date will allow the deposed MP to campaign ahead of the by-election.

Source: YEN.com.gh