Dr. Karl Mark Arhin, one of the independent candidates in the Amenfi Central parliamentary race, has officially stepped down from the race to endorse Joana Gyan Cudjoe of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He will now serve as her campaign manager.

Arhin, who had initially contested the NDC primaries but lost, made the announcement shortly after the Sekondi High Court ruled in favour of Cudjoe, allowing her to contest the elections. The court's decision lifted a previous injunction that had prevented her candidature.

Addressing a rally in Kyeikrom on November 16, with NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah present, Dr. Arhin clarified that his candidature had only been temporary, as he had stepped in during Cudjoe's legal battles.

He called on voters to rally behind her now that the court had cleared the way for her to run.

“I only went in to contest as an independent candidate in the absence of Joana Gyan Cudjoe but she has come. I therefore encourage you all to vote for her as she is the right person for the constituency now. I and my household are going to vote for her, so let’s all vote for her and John Dramani Mahama. I’m no more a candidate despite my picture being on the ballot," he said.

The National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, while commending Dr. Karl Mark Arhin said he has not broken any party rules since it is the party that forced him to contest as an independent candidate following the court wrangling that nearly denied the NDC a candidate.

“It is the NDC party executives that sat to plant this independent candidate to ensure that the NDC have one of their own to vote for, looking at how the NPP was hiding behind some people to deny the NDC representation in the parliamentary election with the court case.

“So Dr. Karl Mark Arhin has not breached any party regulation, and on the day of the court injunction vacation, we called Karl to thank him and told him to step aside and rather become her campaign manager,” he explained.

Joana Gyan Cudjoe, the NDC's candidate for Amenfi Central, expressed her gratitude to Dr. Karl Mark Arhin and the party's supporters. She assured them that she would collaborate closely with him and everyone involved to secure the Amenfi Central seat for the NDC.

“Today is a happy day, and all I want to tell Amenfi Central and Ghana is that we thank all of you. This is because we survived what we went through with the help of God. Let’s remember on the election day that my position on the ballot paper is two. Vote for me and John Mahama.”