Member of Parliament for the Bantama Constituency, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has expressed initial surprise and disappointment at the significant number of votes garnered by his contender, Ralph Agyapong, in the aftermath of the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) parliamentary primaries.

Despite boasting a track record of developmental projects and community engagements, Asenso-Boakye had anticipated a more substantial percentage gap. However, upon reflection, he abandoned his disappointment after uncovering the nature of the support behind Ralph Agyapong and the behind-the-scenes maneuvers that led to his rival's vote count.

Asenso-Boakye secured victory with 78.22% of the total votes cast, amassing 650 votes. In contrast, Ralph Agyapong, endorsed by Assin Central lawmaker Kennedy Agyapong, secured 181 votes, constituting 21.78% of the overall count.

In an interview with Accra-based Starr FM, Asenso-Boakye admitted, "Closer contest? No, I wasn’t expecting a closer contest. In fact, when they announced the results I was a bit disappointed that the guy could poll that number of votes."

He continued, shedding light on the unexpected support for his contender.

"I was surprised but thinking about it and getting to hear about the emerging issues surrounding the outcome and the results then I understood why. Because [Ralph Agyapong] on his own couldn’t have polled that number. The kind of people were supporting him behind the scenes."

Despite the disappointment, Asenso-Boakye acknowledged the landslide victory.

"I had brought many development projects which many of the people in Bantama believe is unprecedented, even in terms of community engagement and community mobilization it has never happened before. I am the first MP for Bantama who was elected right after I was appointed a cabinet minister which meant that I had bigger responsibilities, that notwithstanding I still had time to visit my constituency."

"So I believe that I have done a lot of work and I was hoping that I could poll even a much bigger percentage but it didn’t happen. I am sure you also know the kind of machinations that went on in Bantama," he concluded by addressing the complexities of the election.

NAY/NOQ