Charles Opoku has secured the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidacy for the upcoming by-election scheduled for June 27, 2023, in the Assin North constituency of the Central Region.

Opoku emerged victorious in the primary elections, receiving 397 votes out of the total valid votes cast, which amounted to 536. His only contender, Freeman Amoah-Kyei, garnered 136 votes. Three ballots were rejected.

With this result, Charles Opoku will now face off against James Gyakye Quayson of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the by-election.

In the previous 2020 parliamentary election, James Gyakye Quayson won the Assin North seat, defeating Abena Durowaa of the NPP.

However, his eligibility was later questioned following a Supreme Court interpretation of the 1992 Constitution. It was determined that Quayson held dual citizenship with Canada, rendering him ineligible to contest the election at the time of filing his candidacy.

Quayson, in response to the issue, explained that he had applied to renounce his Canadian citizenship prior to filing his candidacy and was awaiting his certificate of renunciation, which was subsequently obtained.

Based on the Supreme Court ruling, Quayson was deemed unqualified at the time of filing, resulting in the declaration of the Assin North seat as vacant by Parliament. As a result, the Electoral Commission (EC) is organizing the upcoming by-election to fill the vacant seat.