Renowned pollster, Ben Ephson has predicted the outcome of Tuesday’s Assin North by-election.
According to him, the NPP’s parliamentary candidate, Charles Opoku stands a better chance of winning the seat over the NDC’s James Gyakye Quason.
Speaking to Accra-based Joy News, Mr Ephson acknowledged that the election is closely contested but added that the determining factors favour the NPP. He pointed out that Gyakye Quayson’s victory in the 2020 elections was largely due to his place of origin in Assin Bereku, which holds the largest number of voters in the constituency.
He however noted that the dynamics have changed in the current by-election as Charles Opoku, the NPP candidate, also hails from Assin Bereku.
“Both parties want this seat so badly. For Quayson the sympathy votes that he would have gotten have dropped a bit because some NDC people were trying to influence the swing voters that when there is a by-election, roads get done and monies come from both parties so let’s vote for Quayson so that if he loses, then we will have another chance for another by-election but the court asking to go back to the campaign has dimmed his chances.
“For the NPP candidate, the little investigations I’ve done show that he has been preparing himself for politics. For the past few years, he has had an NGO which has been doing several activities. That gives him an advantage. If you were to gamble with your last 100 cedis, I will advise you to put your money on the NPP candidate even though it’s too close to call,” he said.
The by-election in Assin North is seen as a mid-term election that will gauge the popularity of the two main political parties ahead of the 2024 general elections. James Gyakye Quayson of the NDC is seeking to retain the seat he won in 2020, while Charles Opoku of the NPP aims to secure a victory.
The by-election was triggered by a Supreme Court decision that declared the 2020 elections in the constituency null and void. The court ruled that Gyakye Quayson, at the time of filing to contest, had not successfully renounced his Canadian citizenship and was therefore considered a dual citizen of Ghana and Canada.
