The Director of Communications of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has admitted that the party did not secure the outcome it expected in the Akwatia by-election despite the work it invested.

“It was not the result we anticipated, the efforts we put in. We thought that would have won that election. As it is, a lot of things have happened, some of which I’m sure we’ll discuss, and you have seen our petition to the IGP in the nature of the violence that happened there.

"So a lot of factors played a role in our loss, but we have embraced the result, and we demand that certain actions be taken,” he said in an interview on Joy News, a day after the polls.

Pressed by host Evans Mensah to outline his concerns, Ahiagbah pointed to conduct during the campaign that, in his view, undermined the process.

“Yeah, I mean, practically, you saw the campaign itself was recourse, some very inflammatory languages were used. If you talk about what the National Chairman of the NDC, Sofo Azorka, came there in a rather coded way, talking about how it is that the power belongs to the NDC, technically, and so therefore are able to do whatever it is, including being able to seize and reallocate the [mining] concessions belonging to our candidate.”

Mr Ahiagbah argued that such remarks amounted to an appeal to illegal miners in the constituency.

“That’s a way of, you know, appealing to galamseyers, which we know that a lot of galamsey goes on in Akwatia.

"The effort is to streamline it, make sure it’s legal, but then, in its present form, it’s injurious to all of us in our society. But then they found a way to leverage that.

"I think the national organiser was in the constituency in a rather uncharacteristic manner, calling on the President to seize all operations.”

The Akwatia by-election, triggered by the sudden death of NPP MP Ernest Kumi, was won by the governing National Democratic Congress’ candidate, Bernard Bediako.