FACTCHECK: Bawumia almost split Assin Central vote - Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s claim false

Member of Parliament for the Suame constituency, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, recently claimed in an interview that Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia nearly split votes with Kennedy Agyapong in the Assin Central constituency during the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) presidential primaries.

Speaking to Joy News in the aftermath of the November 4 election, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu suggested that Bawumia performed creditably well in Assin Central, where Kennedy Agyapong is the sitting Member of Parliament.

“What surprise?" he asked when asked if Ken could beat Bawumia at the close of counting, before adding: "look at his own backyard, his own constituency, it was almost a split between him (Kennedy Agyapong) and Dr. Bawumia, his own constituency.

"So, there is no way he can come any closer but I was saying that I was thinking Dr. Bawumia would be able to garner about, worst-case scenario 70%, and that was going to help us to unite the party much better than maybe the other person getting 25% or more,” he said.

However, the official figures announced by the Electoral Commission indicates that Kennedy Agyapong secured 96.84% of the vote, with 491 out of the 507 votes cast in his favor.

Bawumia, on the other hand, received just 16 votes, representing 3.16% of the total votes cast. The remaining NPP contenders, Dr. Afriyie Akoto and Francis Addai-Nimoh garnered no votes.

These results clearly show that there was no near vote-splitting, as Kennedy Agyapong dominated the primaries in his constituency.

Bawumia's 3.16% share of the vote pales in comparison to Agyapong's commanding 96.84% majority.

Verdict: Given these facts, it is clear that Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu's claim of a vote split in Assin Central is false/untrue as the official Electoral Commission data refutes his assertion.

The full election results are as follows:

Total registered votes: 508

Total votes cast: 507

Kennedy Agyapong: 491 votes (96.84%)

Dr. Bawumia: 16 votes (3.16%)

Afriyie Akoto: 0 votes

Addai-Nimoh: 0 votes

NPP Presidential Primaries: I did not expect Ken to get even 20% in my constituency - Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu. #ElectionHQ pic.twitter.com/dsoBuFCDlK

— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) November 4, 2023