Mr. Yaw Dabie Appiah Mensah, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Bono Region has advised the leadership of the Party in the Assin North constituency to avoid complacency and win the seat in the impending bye-elections.
He said the bye-election had provided the opportunity for the party in the constituency to forge ahead in unity, identify and tackle the peculiar challenges that led to its parliamentary defeat in the Election 2020 and regain the seat in a wider margin.
A Cape Coast High Court at its sitting on Wednesday ordered a fresh election to be conducted in the constituency after restraining James Gyekye Quayson, the Member of Parliament (MP) from holding himself as an MP for the Area.
In its ruling, the Court presided by Justice Kwasi Boakye, declared the election of the MP as illegal and void in contravention of article 94 (2) of the 1992 constitution.
This is because Mr. Quayson, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Election 2020 Parliamentary Candidate held allegiance to the Canadian government as at the time he filed his nomination to contest the seat for the 2020 general election.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Odumase in the Sunyani West Municipality, Mr. Mensah, a former NPP organiser for the then Brong-Ahafo Region explained the Party needed to concentrate on how to win the bye-election and nothing else.
“It is in the right direction to celebrate the high Court’s decision of annulling the Election 2020 parliamentary results in the Assin North constituency. But I also think in the midst of the jubilation, the Party in the constituency must ensure a united front, bury all differences and guard against tendencies that could narrow its fortunes in the bye-election”, he said.
Mr. Mensah said it was, however, necessary for the leadership of the NPP to adequately resource its Assin North constituency officers to enable the party supporters to undertake vigorous campaign and to sell the achievements of the government to the masses at the grassroot level.
“From all indications, the NDC parliamentary candidate would have some consolation votes, but if we strengthen our campaign strategies and outreaches, we would definitely win the seat back”.
“The NPP government has achieved a lot and we have a lot of campaign messages that would empower the electorate to make informed decisions when they go to the ballot”, Mr. Mensah stated.
Commenting on the Court’s ruling, Mr. Seth Asare Bediako, the Bono Regional Communication Director of the NPP said “we believe in the rule of law and we are grateful to the Court for interpreting the law”.
“We expect Ghanaians to adhere to the ruling of the Court as the Electoral Commission prepare to hold the bye-election”, he said, indicating the bye-election was a divine intervention which had afforded a good opportunity for the NPP to win the seat to increase its majority in parliament to prevent the NDC from frustrating parliamentary businesses.
