 won the Akwatia by-election through vote buying.){kind=link}
Michael Okyere Baafi, the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, has claimed the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the Akwatia by-election through vote buying.
The New Juaben South MP alleged that every voter in the Akwatia constituency received between GH¢500 and GH¢1,000 from the NDC.
He added that the NDC influenced voters with 500-1000 cedis, and it’s dangerous for Ghana’s democracy that we are monetising elections.
Okyere Baafi added that voters were telling them they won’t vote if the NPP don’t give them money.
According to Michael Okyere Baafi, the NPP did all the work and campaigned, but was left disappointed with the outcome of the election.
Speaking in an interview on AsaasePa FM on September 2, 2025, Okyere Baafi alleged, “We did all the work and campaigning, and we were confident of winning the election. But the NDC’s strategy was to buy votes. Almost every voter who wanted money was paid about GH¢500-1,000 by the NDC.
They distributed items such as hair dryers, spraying machines and other things. Given the work we put in, there was no way we should have lost. The NDC even had a table with thugs protecting the table, and not even the police could intervene”, he added.
Also, Okyere Baafi touched on calls for him to honour his words by resigning as a member of parliament.
According to him, he was encouraging his party base when he said he would resign if the NPP loses the Akwatia by-election.
It will be recalled, Michael Okyere Baafi made a bold declaration leading to the Akwatia by-election on September 2, 2025.
According to Michael Okyere Baafi, he will resign as a member of the parliament if the NPP loses the Akwatia by-election.
The lawmaker is quoted by GHOne TV to have said, “If NPP loses this Akwatia by-election, I will resign as MP, mark my words!”.
However, after the NPP’s defeat in the Akwatia by-election, Michael Okyere Baafi made a surprise turn and rendered an unqualified apology to all Ghanaians.
New Juaben South MP quickly rendered an apology to all Ghanaians, saying, “Maybe in hindsight, I went too far, I apologise to Ghana.”
Meanwhile, Bernard Bediako Baidoo of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been confirmed the winner of the Akwatia by-election by the Electoral Commission.
The NDC candidate delivered a crucial victory for the government in a tight, contested election.
According to the Electoral Commission’s certified results, the NDC’s Bernard Bediako Baidoo secured 18,199 votes of the total valid votes cast, with the NPP’s Kwame Asumadu garnering 15,235 votes.
The Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Owusu Patrick, trailed far behind with 82 votes.
In all, 33,819 total ballots were cast, while 303 were rejected.
Speaking to the media after the declaration of results on September 2, 2025, Bernard Bediako Baidoo stated, “Ebenezer, this is how far the good Lord has brought us. The confidence has always been there. It is not just mere confidence out of nothing.
It was borne out of the good job we have done. After engaging the people, we read their reactions towards the message we gave them.
We saw that it had really imbibed; they gave us hope, which has resulted in what we are seeing today”, he added.
Also, the Eastern Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Tony Osei-Adjei, has said the party accepts the defeat in the Akwatia by-election in good faith as the people have spoken.
According to Tony Osei-Adjei, the NPP is disappointed but respects the decision of the constituents.
Speaking to the media after the declaration of the by-election results, Tony Osei-Adjei stated, “We are a bit disappointed because that wasn’t what we expected, but the constituents have spoken, so we take it in good faith”.
“To some extent, we disappointed him because he has lost his life in trying to maintain the seat. He won, he had run every bit of his life chasing to restore his honour and dignity to his constituents,” he added.
Watch the video below:
I was encouraging my party base and reason I said I will resign if NPP loses Akwatia by election but from hindsight, I think I went too far.
— Serwaa Amihere (@Serwaa_Amihere) September 2, 2025
The NDC influenced voters with 500-1000 cedis and it's dangerous for our democracy how we are monetizing elections. Voters were telling us… pic.twitter.com/ZLNAfIhQtH