The much-anticipated Akwatia by-election comes off tomorrow, with Mr Bernard B. Baidoo of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Mr Solomon Asumadu of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) tipped to face off in a tight race.
Both candidates, contesting for the first time, have traversed communities across the constituency in a bid to convince voters with their campaign messages. Electorates will cast their ballots at 119 polling stations.
Pre-election surveys by Sanity Africa and Global InfoAnalytics suggest a narrow win for the NDC’s Mr Baidoo.
Nonetheless, the NPP is determined to retain the seat, formerly held by the late Ernest Yaw Kumi, who passed away on July 7, 2025, while serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for the area.
Security preparations have been heightened to ensure a peaceful process.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Christian Tetteh Yohunu, has dispatched over 6,000 officers to Akwatia.
During a visit to the High Risk Operations Training Centre (HROTC) at Akyeremanteng in the Eastern Region, Mr Yohunu assured the readiness of the Ghana Police Service to maintain law and order.
The by-election, organised by the Electoral Commission (EC), briefly faced uncertainty when Mr David Ankomah, the Action Peoples Party (APP) aspirant, challenged his disqualification in court.
He claimed the EC gave him inadequate time to provide a tax clearance certificate. The High Court in Accra, however, dismissed the case on Thursday, clearing the way for tomorrow’s polls.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY