The New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, Ernest Yaw Annim, has emerged winner of the Kumawu by-election with a landslide victory.
Mr Annim had 15,264 votes, representing 70.9 per cent, after the collation of results from 75 polling stations by the Electoral Commission (EC).
The candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kwasi Amankwaa, popularly known as Tom Cee, garnered 3, 723 (17.2%) votes.
The first independent candidate, Kwaku Duah, with a bird as his symbol, managed 2,478 (11.5%) votes.
At the same time, his nephew, Kwaku Duah, the second independent candidate with a hoe as his symbol, had a paltry 61 (0.29%) votes.
The by-election was held on Wednesday, May 23, following the untimely passing of the incumbent Kumawu MP, Philip Basoah.
Historically, Kumawu has been considered a stronghold for the NPP.
Despite the constituency’s voting patterns traditionally favouring the NPP, the NDC was optimistic as several important personalities trooped to the constituency to campaign massively for Kwasi Amankwaa.
Former President John Dramani Mahama was there to support the NDC candidate ahead of the polls.
The NPP did not leave things to chance as President Nana Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia got involved in getting votes for Mr Annim.
Profile of Ernest Yaw Annim
Mr Annim was once a senior Accountant at Vanguard Properties Development, Ghana. He held several positions at Vanguard, including Financial Controller, where he managed an annual budget of over $4m on four projects.
He also ensured compliance with all regulatory frameworks – companies code and taxation. Before joining Vanguard, he was an Account Officer at Millennium Development Authority Ghana.
Ernest was a graduate assistant at Ohio University Economics Department and holds a Masters’ in Financial Economics from Ohio University and a Professional Certificate in Accounting from ACCA. He is also a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Already, a recent poll conducted by Global Info Analytics has shown a commanding lead for Ernest. He leads his closest rival, an independent candidate, by 56.5% to 16.8%.
The poll suggests that the main opposition NDC’s candidate is in third place with 12.1%, while Kweku Duah, another independent candidate, had just 0.6% of the vote.