The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Frimpong Kodua, has minimized the significance of the party’s loss in the Akwatia by-election, asserting that it does not foreshadow the outcome of the 2028 general elections.
Certified results published by the Electoral Commission on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, indicated that Bernard Bediako Baidoo of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) emerged victorious with 18,199 votes from a total of 33,819 valid ballots cast.
His nearest rival, Solomon Kwame Asumadu of the NPP, garnered 15,235 votes, while Owusu Patrick of the Liberal Progressive Party (LPP) received 82 votes. Additionally, 303 ballots were rejected.
“This by-election does not represent what will transpire in 2028. We anticipated a challenging contest for us following the demise of our MP, Ernest Kumi, but the NPP has shown considerable resilience,” Kodua remarked during an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem programme.
He elaborated that elections inherently involve winning and losing, noting that the result in Akwatia was not unexpected given the constituency’s electoral trends.
“In every election, one either wins or loses. The Akwatia seat is a swing constituency, and the winning party typically does so by a narrow margin,” he articulated.
Justin Frimpong Kodua stated that the party approached the Akwatia by-election with a clear understanding of the challenges it faced.
Mr. Kodua further explained that the National Democratic Congress campaigned primarily on promises of development, a message that resonated with certain segments of the constituency and impacted the election results.
However, he emphasized that the 15,235 votes obtained by the NPP’s candidate, Solomon Kwame Asumadu, demonstrated the party’s lasting strength in the region.
“For a ruling party, the NDC focused its campaign mainly on development and urged the electorate to support it based on that. This message proved effective and influenced various areas of the constituency,” he clarified.
He stated, “The 15,000 votes we received demonstrate that the NPP remains very robust in Akwatia. I am quite pleased with our candidate’s performance and the backing we garnered. We will be monitoring closely to determine if the NDC will indeed deliver the development they have promised.”
Mr. Kodua also praised the NPP candidate, constituency executives, and party members for their dedication despite the defeat, and expressed his gratitude to God for a peaceful by-election.
“This by-election will not deter us. I wish to extend my thanks to our candidate, our constituency executives, and all the prominent figures who came to support us. Most importantly, we thank God for a successful by-election,” remarked the NPP General Secretary.
