Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has noted that individuals who attempt to cause any form of violence during the Akwatia by-election will be quickly whisked away by police personnel to face the full rigor of the law.

According to the police, a mobile prison will be set up to detain suspects. The IGP made this information known to the media during the final day of a five-day intensive training at the High Risk Operations Training Centre (HROT-C) at Akyeremanteng in the Eastern Region.

“There is no fear for Akwatia, this will be one of the best and peaceful elections because we are fully prepared. If you come quietly to vote, we will receive you quietly, if you have any intention of causing trouble, we will not allow you to go free, we will change your location. We will house you in different forms, before your trouble goes far.”

“Under no circumstances will someone come to the polling station to create a problem and we will allow the person to go free,” the IGP said.

The training included tactical drills such as rappelling, precision shooting, handcuffing, vehicle stop and search, crowd control, and human rights considerations. Over 5,000 police personnel are expected to be deployed to Akwatia for the by-election.

On 12th August 2025, the IGP and his team held a meeting with the Electoral Commission (EC) to discuss the broader roadmap for the polls. The discussions centered on coordination between the Police and the EC to ensure smooth operations before, during, and after the election. The EC also outlined its operational roadmap for the conduct of the by-election.

Similarly, on 13th August 2025, the Police engaged the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) at the National Police Headquarters. At the meeting, IDEG highlighted concerns related to electoral security, transparency, and the role of stakeholders in sustaining public confidence in the process.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, and members of the Police Management Board (POMAB), on Tuesday, August 19, engaged various stakeholders ahead of the upcoming Akwatia by-election to discuss security arrangements to ensure peace, law, and order before, during, and after the polls.

The meeting provided a platform for the Police Service to share security arrangements for the election with the political parties and also note their concerns from the service.

The political party representatives expressed their appreciation for the engagement and among other things, called for fairness and transparency in security deployment to build trust in the process.

The Ghana Police Service has noted that it will continue to engage stakeholders as we firm up operational preparations to ensure security law and order before, during, and after the election.

IGP Christian Tetteh Yohuno cautioned the political parties participating in the by-election against marching men to the polling stations to distrupt the electoral process.

“No political party should mobilise men to come and foment trouble, and nobody should have in mind the intention of snatching a ballot box. We have prepared our men adequately to handle this situation, and that, I informed the political parties as I met them yesterday [Tuesday],” he explained.

“What I told them is that we are going in with Black Marias. Black Maria is the prison on wheels. We have a truck that is well prepared to keep people who cause trouble. We keep them in, and then finally, we discharge them at the police cells,” he added.

The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced that the printing of ballot papers for the upcoming Akwatia parliamentary by-election will begin today, Wednesday, August 20.

On Monday, August 4, the Electoral Commission conducted balloting to ensure fairness in the order in which candidates appear on the ballot paper.

The two major political parties are preparing vigorously for the contest. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has elected legal practitioner Bernard Bediako Baidoo as its candidate for the upcoming by-election in Akwatia, Eastern Region, scheduled for Tuesday, September 2.

This follows an internal election conducted by the party on Monday, August 4, to select a representative for the by-election. The competition was between former Member of Parliament Henry Boakye, the current NDC Akwatia Constituency Secretary Bernard Bediako Baidoo, and Erasmus Koney Ali.

Bernard Bediako Baidoo polled 380 votes, Erasmus Ali Korney secured 366 votes, and Yiadom garnered 232 votes. On the other hand, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has selected the Chief Executive of Owuo Mining Company, Solomon Kwame Asumadu, as its parliamentary candidate for the upcoming by-election.

According to the Eastern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Jeff Konadu Addo, the decision was made after extensive consultations with key stakeholders.

He explained, “The National Council of the party set up a committee and we were tasked to find out who could be our candidate or whether we will do primaries or not.

"So, the team went to Akwatia in the constituency, had a lot of engagement with the grassroots, electoral area coordinators, polling station officers, chiefs, opinion leaders, and the majority of the people said that for primaries, we should take it out. We shouldn’t conduct primaries in Akwatia. And that’s exactly what we followed."

Earlier, reports suggested that the widow of the late Member of Parliament, Mrs. Mavis Kumi, had expressed interest in contesting the seat. However, the Eastern Regional NPP Chairman, Jeff Konadu Addo, on Tuesday, July 15, dismissed such reports, emphasizing that campaign flyers making such claims were false.

“We wish to categorically state that this information is false, misleading, and should be treated with the utmost contempt it deserves,” Jeff Konadu Addo said.

He further clarified that Mrs. Mavis Kumi had no interest in contesting the position but was focused on mourning her husband.

“She has unequivocally communicated that she has no interest in contesting the seat or participating in active politics at this time. Her current focus is to mourn her husband with dignity and in peace,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Muntaka, has urged security personnel who will be deployed to oversee the by-election in the Akwatia constituency to remain vigilant while carrying out their duties.

He reminded them to reflect on the recent violence that occurred during the parliamentary election rerun in the Ablekuma North constituency and to work proactively to prevent a recurrence.

According to him, the government will ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future elections. The minister made these remarks at the government’s accountability series in Accra on Monday, July 14.

“This is also a wake-up call for our security agencies to know that probably what happened [in Ablekuma North]…gives our security agencies the opportunity to even plan better towards Akwatia.

“All I can assure the people of Akwatia is that we will use Ablekuma North as a case study to review how we operate in Akwatia—to make sure that the citizens are free to cast their votes and express their will without fear or favour,” Muntaka added.