The newly elected Member of Parliament for Akwatia, Bernard Baidoo Bediako, has dismissed suggestions that he betrayed his former client and political ally, Henry Boakye Yiadom, in the run-up to the recent by-election.
Lawyer Baidoo won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primary with 380 votes out of 980 valid ballots cast, defeating two other contenders — including his own client and former Akwatia MP, Henry Boakye Yiadom, who garnered 226 votes.
Many critics described the situation as an act of betrayal.
Speaking on *Morning Starr*, Lawyer Baidoo clarified that his involvement in legal proceedings after the disputed 2024 elections was on behalf of both the NDC and Yiadom, the party’s candidate at the time.
He stressed that the circumstances surrounding the 2025 by-election were entirely different from the earlier contest.
“There was nothing like betrayal. I was in court on behalf of the party to fight the irregularities that engulfed the 2024 election, I was in court on his behalf as well because he was the candidate. I was also the constituency secretary prior to becoming the candidate. So as the constituency secretary, I’m not just an ordinary person, I carried the campaign on my head, I did all I could. We went to court.
The 2024 election, by an act of God, by the passing of the gentleman, every issue in relation with the 2024 election, good or bad, whether there was irregularity or no irregularity came to an end. This is not a case like the Ablekuma North rerun. This is a case of a by-election, a fresh space, it has nothing to do with the 2024 election, it’s not a rerun,” he explained.
Lawyer Baidoo added that his former contenders in the primaries even campaigned for him during the by-election, which helped secure his victory.
The by-election, held following the death of sitting MP Ernest Yaw Kumi in July, confirmed pre-election projections of a National Democratic Congress (NDC) victory.
Official results showed Baidoo polling 18,199 votes (54.3%) to defeat the NPP’s Solomon Asumadu, who secured 15,235 votes (45.4%). The Liberal Party of Ghana’s Patrick Owusu managed 82 votes.
In total, 33,819 valid ballots were counted, with 303 rejected.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
