New Patriotic Party cites time constraints as a factor in their candidate’s defeat

The New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ghana’s governing party, has identified limited time for marketing their candidate as one of the reasons for their loss in the recently concluded Assin North by-election. James Gyakye Quayson of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) secured victory with over 57.56% of the votes, while the NPP’s Charles Opoku garnered 42.15% of the valid votes cast.

Justin Kodua Frimpong, the General Secretary of the NPP, acknowledged that the NDC had an advantage in terms of time to propagate their message to the electorate. In an interview with JoyNews, he stated, “As a party, we did not have enough time. We had to quickly hold our primaries to elect our candidate, and yes, Charles Opoku was elected within the shortest possible time. We could not get the time to market him very well.”

Frimpong explained that James Gyakye Quayson already had a strong support base in the constituency, having won the seat in the 2020 elections. He recognized the element of sympathy that played a role in Quayson’s victory, as the constituents felt their MP had been treated unfairly. This sentiment led them to re-elect him to fulfill the promises made to them.

Despite the loss, Frimpong expressed the party’s determination to learn from the election and make a stronger comeback in 2024.

However, Professor Ransford Gyampo, a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, attributed the NPP’s defeat to the discerning nature of the electorates in Assin North. According to Prof. Gyampo, the voters were able to interpret hidden meanings and intentions behind certain strategies implemented by the NPP. He noted that the residents understood the motives behind the sudden surge in developmental projects and attempts at vote-buying.

In response, the electorate chose to “teach them [NPP] a lesson” by voting for the NDC candidate, James Gyakye Quayson, as a form of retribution. Prof. Gyampo emphasized that the voters’ ability to discern the underlying strategies played a significant role in the election outcome.