The Electoral Commission (EC) has officially declared Ernest Kumi of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the Member of Parliament-elect for Akwatia, following a prolonged and contentious electoral process.
Ernest Kumi garnered 19,269 votes, while the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Henry Yiadom Boakye had 17,206 votes.
This declaration took place at the National Police Training School in Tesano, Accra, after several unsuccessful attempts to finalize the results in the Eastern Region.
The routine results declaration was marred by disputes, delays, and accusations from both political parties.
Akwatia was one of four constituencies, along with Suhum, Nsawam, and Fanteakwa North, whose results were moved to the National Police Training School for final re-collation.
This decision was made due to persistent logistical challenges and resistance during the initial collation attempts in the Eastern Region.
The relocation to Tesano was prompted by rising tensions and allegations of irregularities in the earlier stages of the collation process.
Representatives from both the NPP and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) were present at the Tesano venue, where the EC worked to maintain a neutral and secure environment for the final count.
The remaining outstanding constituencies are yet to be declared.
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