The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has called on the Ghana Police Service to urgently investigate any violent incident which occurred in the Assin North constituency during the Tuesday, June 27, 2023 by-election.
The Coalition wants the Police to prosecute all persons found culpable.
This it believes will serve as a deterrent. In the Coalition’s end of polls statement on the Assin North constituency by-election, it pointed out a violent clash that involved “a convoy of vehicles with NPP occupants, accompanied by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Antwi Bosiako (Chairman Wontumi), pursuing a vehicle occupied by NDC supporters from a different polling station to D/C Primary School in Praso (located within the Electoral Area with Polling Station Code B170801).”
It said “during this pursuit, the occupants of the NPP vehicles proceeded to vandalize and damage parts of the NDC vehicle, resulting in commotion and disturbance along the roadside.”
The Coalition further indicated that although Security personnel intervened to calm the situation by removing the actors from the vicinity of the polling station to a distant location, it was reported that the individuals involved in the brawl fired gunshots and one person was injured and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, CODEO says it commends the Electoral Commission, the Ghana Police Service and the electorates for ensuring a very peaceful by-election “which was fully concluded after the winning candidate was declared.”
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Candidate, James Gyakye Quayson emerged victorious in the Assin North parliamentary by-election.
He polled 17, 243 out of the 30, 418 total valid votes representing 57.56%. Meanwhile, his main contender, Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) managed to secure 12,630 votes representing 42.15% of the valid votes cast while the candidate for the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Bernice Enyonam Sefenu pulled 87 votes also representing 0.29%.
Source: Rosemond Asmah/ATLFMNEWS
