The incumbent Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Ato Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has been re-elected with a margin of 20,170 votes, defeating two other contestants. Afenyo-Markin, who is the Majority Leader of Parliament and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the area, polled 39,512 votes out of 59,623 cast. Dr. James Kofi Annan recorded 19,383 votes, while Ms. Louisa Buabeng, an Independent candidate, polled 81 votes.
In the Presidential election at Effutu, former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) obtained 25,127 out of 58,275 valid votes cast, while Dr. Bawumia of the NPP recorded 32,200 votes, with 1,348 votes rejected.
In an interview with the media, Afenyo-Markin, after being declared the winner by the Effutu Returning Officer of the Electoral Commission, expressed his gratitude to Almighty God for his success. He also thanked the constituency executives and all who supported him in various ways.
“I won the Effutu Parliamentary elections with a margin of 2,083 votes in 2012. In 2016, the margin increased to 10,000. In 2020, it increased to 15,000, and in 2024, it has increased to 20,127,” he stated. He emphasized that these records indicate the continuous work they have done, which has increased the confidence of the people of Effutu in his leadership.
He promised to continue working hard to meet the aspirations of the entire citizenry. He also urged his colleagues who did not win to remember that “if not today, it will be tomorrow,” adding that partisan politics is not a do-or-die affair. He encouraged them to go back to the drawing board, correct what went wrong, and avail themselves to the people in the future.
Dr. James Kofi Annan, the Effutu NDC Parliamentary Candidate, thanked God for being with him in all his endeavours and commended the party members and supporters for their continuous commitment and dedication. He stated that although the elections are over, no one has truly won Effutu, citing several malpractices during the exercise. He assured that these acts would be investigated to correct the anomalies and find a way forward.
He expressed his gratitude to the supporters for their hard work and resilience and urged them to remain calm and not engage in any acts that could disturb the peace of Effutu. He lamented the continuous intimidation and harassment of party members in the constituency, alleging that the police, who are supposed to protect all citizens, have taken sides, making life unbearable for NDC members. He claimed that some members were isolated at polling centres while the police stood by.
Dr. Annan reiterated that the Effutu Parliamentary Election was not won by anyone due to the malpractices and called for investigations to correct the anomalies. “Long live Effutu, long live NDC, and long live Ghana,” he added.
