Opposition NPP Communications Director Richard Ahiagbah has claimed the party’s defeat in the closely fought Akwatia by-election was the result of deliberate voter suppression by the governing NDC.

Speaking on Joy News after the polls on September 3, he argued that the outcome would have been different if turnout had matched expectations.

“We believe that our victory lay in turnout, and if people had come out in a manner we anticipated, we would have won that election. But a systematic effort by the NDC to suppress the vote created fear and panic,” Mr Ahiagbah said.

He recounted an incident involving the NDC’s National Vice Chairman, Sofo Azorka, which he described as a violent attack that discouraged voters.

“Sofo Azorka, NDC’s National Vice Chairman, in a very violent way, accosted an individual who had not said anything to him except to give an interview, give his view or report on what is happening.

"And then he accosted him, abused him in the manner he did, and then his people slapped him. And today, as we speak, he’s home, he’s probably watching us on TV, and we are wondering, What is this?” he noted.

Mr Ahiagbah warned that such acts heightened tensions, drove fear into the electorate, and ultimately affected turnout.

“The implication of that is that it heightens tension in the environment and, in most likely situations, created fear and panic for most of the people who could have come out to vote and not to come out,” he added.

The NPP’s loss in Akwatia handed victory to the governing NDC, but Mr Ahiagbah insists the result does not reflect the true strength of his party in the constituency.