James Gyakye Quayson of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will be making a return to Parliament after his constituents kept faith with him and helped him win the keenly contested Assin North constituency bye-election on Tuesday.
Officials of the Electoral Commission declared Mr Quayson the victor, raising his hand to signal the status as NDC officials broke into their ‘Revo, Revo, has come to stay’ chorus.
Mr Quayson, who was ejected from Parliament last month following a Supreme Court decision annulling the 2020 constituency election, won the closely contested bye-election with 17,245 votes representing 57.56% of valid votes.
His main rival, Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party polled 12,630 or 42.15% of valid votes to place second, while Liberal Party of Ghana’s Bernice Enam Sefanu polled only 87 votes or 0.29%.
With a turnout of 74.23%, officials of the Electoral Commission (EC), in interviews shortly ahead of the declaration of results, indicated that the turnout was very high.
Speaking with Joy News, Director of Elections, Dr Serebuor Quaicoe said polling stations recorded over 50% voter turnout even before midday.
In declaring the 2020 constituency election null and void, the Supreme Court had said that Mr Quayson, the winner, was not qualified to have contested. It consequently ordered parliament to expunge James Gyakye Quayson’s name from its records as a Member of Parliament.
Amidst warnings that Mr Quayson risks jail term from the ongoing criminal trial he faces in court, the National Democratic Congress fielded him again, rubbishing the threat mainly by the ruling New Patriotic Party that he was a likely jail candidate.
Indeed President Akufo-Addo in a final rally ahead of the polls, had urged constituents to not waste their votes by voting for Mr Quayson because he would waste their time with court litigation.
As it turned out, majority of the constituents did not agree with the president and stack with Mr Quayson.
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