Amidst projections by Musah Dankwa of the Political Science Institute, giving the NDC a 6% lead over the NPP candidate in the yet-to-be-cast ballot on Tuesday, another development has captured the spotlight in Akwatia.
On Monday, 1st September, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama is set to commission a newly constructed Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) office in Akwatia. The ceremony will also feature Hon. Joseph Bukari Nikpe, Minister of Transport, and Mr. Julius Neequaye Kotey, Chief Executive of DVLA.
The commissioning, taking place just a day before the bye-election, is widely seen as both the fulfillment of a promise to expand essential services and a strategic move with possible political undertones. For many, it reinforces the NDC’s message of infrastructural delivery, while for others, the timing suggests a calculated effort to sway undecided voters.
Ahead of the President’s visit, the Chief of Staff, Hon. Julius Debrah, had already been on the ground in Akwatia. He held a series of engagements with opinion leaders, religious figures, and grassroots party activists. His early presence was intended to bolster and charge the constituency with a strong appeal to vote massively for the NDC, while consolidating the party’s connection with floating voters.
At the centre of the contest is the NDC’s parliamentary candidate, Lawyer Bernard Bediako Baidoo, who is riding on a wave of support built on the party’s development record. His main challenger, Solomon Asumadu of the NPP, has struggled to shake off the perception that his campaign lacks the grassroots energy and practical policy alternatives that resonate with the electorate.
Growing indications suggest that the NDC is ahead in projections and in firm control of the political atmosphere in Akwatia. The commissioning of the DVLA office has energized the base of the party and drawn admiration from undecided voters, many of whom view the gesture as proof that the NDC governs with action rather than empty promises.
The momentum surrounding this bye-election has revived memories of the party’s triumph in the Ablekuma North rerun, where the NDC turned early doubts into a decisive victory. Just as in Ablekuma North, where visible development projects tilted the balance, the situation in Akwatia is shaping into another historic win for the NDC.
In a related development, Jeremiah Maclean (popularly known as Jnr JM) and his team are expected to tour the Akwatia township with a campaign walk in collaboration with Lawyer Bernard Bediako Baidoo’s campaign team. The walk is aimed at energizing the youth, engaging local traders, and demonstrating a united front ahead of Tuesday’s crucial polls.
With strong grassroots mobilization, active engagement by senior party officials, a favorable projection from independent analysts, and the high-profile commissioning by President Mahama, political observers are increasingly confident that the NDC is on course to capture the Akwatia seat.
As voters prepare to cast their ballots on Tuesday, the signals point clearly in one direction: the NDC, with Lawyer Bernard Bediako Baidoo, is well-positioned to emerge victorious in Akwatia.
By Julius Blay JABS
