The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has assured the public, particularly residents of the Akwatia constituency, that the ongoing by-election will be peaceful.
After visiting the constituency to assess security developments, the police chief told the media on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, that the process had been peaceful so far, especially in the early hours of voting.
He expressed optimism that the exercise and its aftermath would remain peaceful.
“Everything is going on well, the people are comporting themselves, and the electoral officials are also working without any fears and then the police are also giving the protection they have to give,” he stated.
According to him, although “the day is still young, we hope that just as we started, we’ll go through the process like that to the end.”
He further assured that “at the end of the day, we’ll smile, having had a peaceful election.”
Meanwhile, the police administration had deployed hundreds of officers to the voting centres ahead of the exercise.
This is part of the arrangement to ensure the election becomes peaceful, bearing in mind the violence nature of by-election and election re-runs in the country.
The deployment, which is part of a larger security operation involving more than 5,500 personnel, is aimed at maintaining law and order across polling stations, collation centres, and identified hotspots.
Officers are expected to provide protection for electoral officials, voters, and materials.
The IGP, Mr. Yohunu, had earlier urged the officers at a press briefing to remain professional, impartial, and alert throughout the exercise.
They have assured the public of a peaceful process, stressing that contingency measures, including possible military backup, are in place to swiftly respond to any disturbances.
The by-election has drawn intense national interest as it is widely regarded as a test of political strength between the NDC and NPP ahead of the 2028 general elections.
Meanwhile, the National Peace Council’s efforts to secure a peace pact between the NDC and NPP ahead of the by-election hit a setback, further heightening the political tension in the constituency.
At a scheduled meeting at the Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Akwatia, the NPP rejected the NDC’s representatives.
The opposition party argued that the party had presented constituency executives instead of national-level executives to sign the agreement.
Akwatia: Voting starts as by-election underway to elect new MP
