Assin North By-Election: NDC's Gyakye Quayson Faces NPP's Charles Opoku In Crucial Poll For A New MP
The crucial by-election in the Assin North constituency to elect a new legislator has ended as counting starts in earnest.
Voting started at 7:00 a.m. and ended at 5 pm on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, peacefully but there were isolated instances of protests and violent clashes at some polling stations.
Follow YEN.com.gh for up-to-minute updates of events on the ground as counting of ballots begins to determine whether NDC's James Gyakye Quayson or NPP's Charles Opoku will be elected the next MP.
The by-election in the Assin North constituency to elect a new Member of Parliament experienced its first violence after fighting broke out at a polling station at Assin Bereku.
The chaos was attributed to allegations of vote-buying against the NPP.
Earlier, scores of opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters massed up at a different polling station, accusing the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of vote-buying.
Scroll down for the latest updates from the constituency as the counting of ballots starts.
Assin North by-election: Results start trickling in, NDC's Gyakye Quayson beating NPP's Charles Opoku so far
Results trickling in from polling stations in Assin North show NDC's James Gyakye Quayson is getting more votes than the NPP's Charles Opoku.
YEN.com.gh has been monitoring results from polling stations as declared by independent observers, and media houses.
Below are some of the results from the 99 polling stations in the Assin North constituency:
Assin Ninkyiso Provisional
- Total Valid vote cast - 173
- NPP- 42
- LPG - 1
- NDC -127
- Rejected - 3
Presby Primary A
- Charles Opoku [NPP] - 97
- Eunice Sefenu [LPG]- 0
- James Quayson - [NDC] - 138
Asuoakomason D/A Primary School
- NPP Charles Opoku — 32
- NDC James Gyakye Quayson — 120
Breku Catholic Primary
- Charles Opoku - 157
- Gyakye Quayson- 256
Achino Cocoa Shell polling station
- Charles Opoku - 174
- James Gyakye Quayson - 154
Tatre Nkwanta- Achino
- Charles Opoku - 78
- James Gyakye Quayson - 169
Cocoa Shed polling station
- Charles Opoku (NPP) — 101
- Bernice Sefenu ( LPG)— 2
- James Quayson ( NDC)— 328
Achiano DC Primary
- Charles Opoku - 100
- James Gyakye Quayson - 76
Assin Tatre Nkwanta Polling Station
- Charles Opoku — 77
- LPG — 1
- James Gyakye Quayson — 169
Amid the counting of ballots, NPP's Chairman Wontumi stormed a location where he had claimed earlier that the NDC was selling voter inducement.
But when he arrived at the location, some NDC supporters reportedly hooted at him.
Assin North by-election: Voting ends at various polling stations, sorting and counting of ballots begins
Voting has ended at the various polling stations in Assin North. Officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) have started sorting and counting ballots.
Polling station officials of the political parties contesting the parliamentary seat are monitoring the sorting and counting of votes.
A few of the live videos from the constituency show the sorting and counting of ballots are proceeding peacefully.
Police release statement as voting ends in Assin North
Meanwhile, the police have said in a statement that the election was generally peaceful.
"Police, however, recorded pockets of incidents, including an alleged incident of an individual shooting into the air. We wish to state that no person or vehicle has been shot at within the constituency. All the recorded incidents are being investigated and Police have also arrested some suspects who are in custody assisting our investigation.
"Adequate Police personnel have been deployed throughout the constituency to ensure security law and order for the remaining period of the election and beyond.".
Assin North by-election: Vehicle belonging to NDC Youth Organiser George Opare Addo allegedly vanderlised by NPP thugs
National Youth Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) George Opare Addo has alleged that his vehicle has been vandalised by some thugs affiliated with the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Images of the video that has been trending on social media capture the back windshield of a black four-wheel drive damaged.
The video of the front windshield was also damaged. The claims have not been verified by police or any other eyewitness.
Assin North by-election: Female voter says she is not happy with items she received as "bribe"
With just hours to the end of the Assin North by-election, a hilarious video of a woman complaining about the items one of the two main political parties gave her as a form of bribe has been trending.
She is captured in a video expressing her discontent with the machete and other farming equipment she received.
Although she did not mention the name of the political party that gave her the items, she said she was hoping that she would be offered a job in the security service, prompting some Ghanaians to speculate that the items may have come from the governing NPP.
Meanwhile, proceedings in Parliament have been adjourned due to a lack of quorum. MPs afflated with the two main political parties have stormed the Assin North constituency to back the party's campaign to clinch the seat.
Assin North by-election: Gunshots ring at Mpraeso, both NDC and NPP blame each of stoking violence
Reports trickling in are that gunshots have been heard at an electoral area in Mpraeso in the Assin North constituency. It is not clear which group fired the shots, but an observer for the NDC has told journalists that NPP thugs have been causing mayhem.
Meanwhile, NPP General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua has accused the NDC of inciting violence at all of the party's strongholds.
He said the security forces detailed to maintain law and order have been doing their job.
Assin North by-election: Voter claims both NPP and NDC buying votes - NPP for GH¢200, NDC for GH¢100
A voter in the Assin North by-election has disclosed that both the NPP and NDC are giving out money in a bid to buy votes for their candidates.
The young man who made the claim in Assin North on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, is captured in video disclosing that the NPP is paying GH¢200 for votes for Charles Opoku, whiles the opposition NDC is paying GH¢100 to buy votes for James Gyakye Quayson.
"The NPP is invoking curses with Schnapps, threatening us that if we take the money and vote against their candidate Antoa [a river deity] shoould let something bad will happen to us. But it is our money too. It is stolen cash, we are all entitled to it. I know who I am going to vote for. And I know that the curses they have invoked will not work against us," the man is captured telling journalists in Twi.
Assin North by-election: Fake police hanging out at polling station arrested, dragged away in video
A young man who had been manning a polling station at Assin North has been arrested by personnel of the Ghana Police Service. The identity of the imposter has not been released yet.
Earlier another man was arrested after he wore full military gear as if he was a soldier.
Assin North by-election: Police have arrested a fake soldier at Assin Bereku, march him away in video
Police have arrested a fake soldier at a polling in Assin North. The unidentified man was arrested at Assin Bereku, a community in the constituency.
A video captures personnel of the police service marching the fake soldier away.
In another clip of the arrest of the fake military man who was standing at the polling station, someone is heard saying the man arrested is an "NPP guy".
Assin North by-election: NDC'S James Gyakye Quayson casts his vote, waves ballot amid cheers
The NDC candidate for Assin North James Gyakye Quayson has cast his ballot in Tuesday's by-election. He is facing steep competition from NPP's Charles Opoku and LPG's Bernice Enyonam Sefanu.
After casting his vote, he waved the ballot as NDC supporters cheered him on.
Assin North by-election: Police deploy drones to complement heavy boots on the ground
Police have deployed drones for the Assin North constituency by-election. Images capture a police drone ready to be deployed to provide aerial support.
The drones will focus on conflict hotspots in the constituency and are expected to capture instances of conflict and violence in real-time during Tuesday's by-election.
NDC's Aseidu Nketiah inspects polling stations at the Assin North
NDC's Aseidu Nketiah inspects polling stations at the Assin North as voting proceeds smoothly at most polling stations.
The NDC National Chairman was accompanied by other party executives and a huge entourage of NDC supporters as he visits polling stations to monitor proceedings.
NPP's Charles Opoku inspects some polling stations
The parliamentary candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Charles Opoku has been inspecting some polling stations in the constituency as polls open.
