The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has retained the Kumawu parliamentary seat in the Ashanti Region after its candidate, Ernest Yaw Anim, won the by-election held on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
Mr. Anim secured 15,264 votes out of the total valid votes cast, defeating his closest rival, Kwesi Amankwah of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who obtained 3,723 votes. The other two contestants in the race were both independent candidates with the same name, Kweku Duah. One of them got 2,478 votes while the other had only 62 votes.
The by-election was necessitated by the demise of the former MP for Kumawu, Philip Basoah, who passed away on March 28 after a short illness. He was buried on Saturday, May 20, at his hometown of Kumawu.
The by-election was marred by allegations of vote buying and a fake pink sheet that surfaced at one of the polling stations. The Electoral Commission (EC) dismissed the pink sheet as a forgery and said it did not affect the credibility of the polls.
The NDC also accused the government of using money and state resources to influence voters in favour of the NPP candidate. The Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mustapha Gbande, claimed that some voters were offered between GH¢50 and GH¢100 to take pictures of their ballots showing that they voted for Mr. Anim.
However, all the candidates expressed confidence in their chances of winning before the official results were announced. Mr. Anim thanked the people of Kumawu for reposing their trust in him and promised to continue the good works of his predecessor.
He also thanked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for their support and endorsement during his campaign. The President and his deputy had visited Kumawu over the weekend to rally voters behind Mr. Anim.
Mr. Anim said he would work hard to bring development and prosperity to Kumawu and urged all stakeholders to unite and cooperate with him.
