By Yussif Ibrahim/ Boakye Baafi, GNA
Ejisu (Ash), May 1, GNA – Mr Kwabena Boateng, a Legal Practitioner, has retained the Ejisu parliamentary seat for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in a fiercely contested by-election on Tuesday.
He polled 27,782, representing 55.8 per cent of the valid votes to defeat five other contestants who challenged him for the vacant seat.
His closest contender, Mr Kwabena Owusu-Aduomi, a former MP for the constituency, who stood as an independent candidate, garnered an impressive 21,534, representing 43.3 per cent.
The dominant performances of the two frontrunners left the other four contestants sharing less than one per cent of the valid votes cast.
They were Esther Osei, Convention People’s Party (CPP), Beatrice Boakye, Liberal Party of Ghana, and Joseph Attakora, and Joseph Agyemang Fredua, filing as independent candidates.
The Ejisu by- election was triggered by the demise of Dr John Ampontuah Kumah, former Member of Parliament (MP) of the constituency, which occurred on March 7, this year.
The Constituency, in the last few weeks, had become a hub for political activity following the death of Dr Kumah.
Mr Boateng won a closely fought primary, which was contested by nine aspirants of the NPP on April 13.
With the constituency being a stronghold of the ruling party, coupled with the withdrawal of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) from the race, one would have thought it was a done deal for the NPP candidate, but that was not the case with the entry of Mr. Owusu Aduomi, who changed the dynamics completely.
Riding on the back of his achievements as a former MP for the area, the former Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways, proved to be a force to reckon with as the campaigns intensified.
He was hailed by many who believed he deserved another chance to complete a lot of projects abandoned after he left office.
The goodwill he enjoyed ahead of the election was enough signal for the NPP leadership to step up its campaign to avoid a repetition of Fomena, which was fresh on its mind.
The national and regional executives of the party traversed every part of the constituency with intense campaign to retain the seat.
In the early hours of Tuesday, when the election started, Aduomi seemed to have been been the favourite, increasing fears of a possible defeat for the NPP.
However, before the official declaration of results by the Electoral Commission (EC), it was already evident that Kwabena Boateng had won the contest.
His victory was confirmed hours later by the Returning Officer, Mr Mark Adu Poku, after the collation of results from all 204 polling stations, when he was declared the MP-elect.
Mr Boateng commended all stakeholders for their diverse role in the successful conduct of the election.
He recognised the various structures of the party, from the polling station to the national executives, for their contributions to his victory; a victory for the NPP.
He promised to work closely with the relevant actors to bring on board all aggrieved members of the party to ensure victory in December and to better serve the good people of Ejisu.
GNA