Why NPP's Charles Opoku is trending with the GH¢200 note

Charles Opoku, NPP candidate for Assin North is trending with the GH¢ 200 note

Following the outcome of the just-ended Assin North by-election, some persons have taken to social media to troll the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary Candidate, Charles Opoku.

Netizens and social media particularly Twitter trolls have named the Two Hundred Ghana Cedi (GH¢200) after the defeated parliamentary candidate in view of allegations there was vote-buying on the part of his party but he still lost.

National Democratic Congress (NDC) communicator in the Ashanti Region, Evangelists Richard Prah claimed on the radio that the GHc200 note is now known as Charles Opoku.

Some voters in the area claim they were paid 200 cedis to vote for the NPP candidate and composed songs in a viral video referring to the money as Charles Opoku in Twi saying “me-dia me-de Charles Opoku sika na ye pe”.

Speaking on Ultimate FM in Kumasi, Prah said “Let me tell you something interesting about the Assin North elections, the NPP thought they could buy the elections, so they went with money but the people rejected them”

“In their minds, they thought they were buying the elections so they were going to buy it with money but this was rather a by-election as in By-Election, not a purchase as in going to buy something oo. They got it wrong. Now in Assin they call the 200 Cedis Charles Opoku because they gave money to sway the votes and it didn’t work. They were seen portraying the monies they got saying they were going to spend Charles Opoku's monies” he added.

There were accusations from both the NPP and the NDC of vote-buying in the just-ended elections.

Whereas the ruling NPP was accused of giving some electorates 200 cedis the opposition NDC was said to be dolling out 100 cedis to each voter.

The NDC’s James Gyakye Quayson emerged winner of the elections and will be representing the Assin North constituency again after the 2020 elections were annulled by the Supreme Court over claims of dual citizenship being held by him during the elections.