The Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Baafi, has made a surprise turn and rendered an unqualified apology to all Ghanaians after his party lost the Akwatia by-election.
This apology comes after he had earlier promised to resign from his position as a Member of Parliament if his party lost the Akwatia by-election, which was held on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
His party lost to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), a situation that has resulted in intense pressure on him to fulfil his own promise to demonstrate his commitment, accountability and integrity.
Despite his pre-election promise, Okyere Baafi has quickly rendered an apology to all Ghanaians for his comment, saying, “Maybe in hindsight, I went too far, I apologise to Ghana.”
He rendered the apology while speaking to Asaase Radio long before the Electoral Commission officially declared the NDC as the winner of the election.
According to him, he was motivated to make the pledge because of the euphoria that greeted the campaign of his party in the constituency and the zeal with which people willingly came in their numbers to support the NPP.
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He said this gave him every reason to believe the NPP would win the election, given his wild pledge, which has landed him in trouble. People like Tanko-Computer and Dr Ishmeal Norman, among others, have mounted pressure on him to resign.
Dr Norman said, “I want to see Honourable Baafi resign because he made this announcement. I wish there was a way that constituencies can have a vote of no confidence.”
He asked, “Seriously, who compelled him to make that statement that if NPP doesn’t win, he will resign. NPP would not, so he should; otherwise, the party should kick him out.”
He has chosen to apologise instead of resigning, saying, “To me, what is important is that our system for conducting elections has now become dangerous; if you don’t have money, you can’t win an election.”
The Akwatia by-election, held on September 2, 2025, saw the NDC’s Bernard Baidoo emerge victorious, polling 18,199 votes, while the NPP’s Solomon Kwame Asumadu gained 15,235.
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