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Mahama congratulates Ernest Yaw Anim for winning Kumawu by-election

Ernest Yaw Anim and John Mahama

Fri, 26 May 2023 Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Former President John Dramani Mahama has extended his congratulations to the Member of Parliament for Kumawu following the recently concluded by-election in the constituency.

"I extend my congratulations to the Member of Parliament-elect, Ernest Anim," Mahama said in a Facebook post on May 25, 2023.

John Mahama also acknowledged the commendable conduct displayed by the people of Kumawu, stating, "Congratulations to the people of Kumawu for the peaceful conduct of Tuesday's parliamentary by-election.

"Of course, I cannot forget the warmth of the people and the enthusiasm demonstrated when I led a delegation from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to campaign for our candidate, Kwasi Amankwah. I am very grateful.

"That enthusiasm was aptly demonstrated in the increased number of votes our candidate garnered in the poll – 1,284 actual votes, representing an increase of 52.6% over our 2020 performance."

Looking ahead to the 2024 general elections, Mahama further expressed optimism and credited the efforts of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate, Kwasi Amankwa, for his dedication and hard work on behalf of the NDC.

He also took the opportunity to extend his appreciation to the Ghana Police Service for their professionalism exhibited during the by-election.

"I would like to congratulate the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and his men and women for their assistance in ensuring the peaceful conduct of the polls. The conduct of the police personnel gives us confidence for the future that they will continue to bear true allegiance to the state and not to any political party."

Mahama added, "To the Electoral Commission, you are once again reminded that a credible election depends as much on the persons you recruit and appoint as presiding and other officers as much as it depends on the collaboration with the agents and representatives of the political parties."

Ernest Yaw Anim, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the just-ended by-election in Kumawu, emerged as the winner of the election.

The by-election, which initially carried uncertainties regarding predictions due to its competitiveness, has finally produced a winner.

Ernest Yaw Anin received 15,264 votes, representing 70.91% of the valid votes. Kwasi Amankwaa, who ran on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), received 3,723 votes, representing 17.29%.

Kwaku Duah, an independent candidate, secured 2,478 votes, representing 11.51%, while the other Kwaku Duah, who also stood as an independent candidate, managed to garner 62 votes, representing 0.29%.

Paul Agyemang, the constituency's returning officer, declared the results and revealed that the registered voters were 34,790, while the valid votes cast were 21,527, representing 62.45%. The number of rejected ballots was 204.

Some jubilant NPP supporters who spoke to GhanaWeb even before the declaration said they were already confident that the NPP candidate had won by a large margin.

According to them, their failure to reject the independent candidate Kwaku Duah stemmed from a fact-finding mission that revealed his non-affiliation with the NPP party, despite his previous campaign claims.

"He told us he was partially NPP, but we discovered that he was lying," some supporters told GhanaWeb.