The National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Bernard Bediako Baidoo, who emerged winner of the hotly contested Akwatia by-election, says the outcome is proof that voters connected with his message and voted accordingly.

Speaking after his declaration as Member of Parliament, the lawyer-turned-politician said the result was no surprise to his team.

“The people listened to what we shared with them, and they internalized it. That gave us hope, and today, that hope has translated into victory,” he noted.

Mr. Baidoo stressed that confidence had always been central to his campaign.

“We’ve always been very confident. When you are in politics, you can usually tell if you are losing unless you refuse to be honest with yourself,” he remarked.

He explained that his campaign strategy was built on focus and clarity rather than responding to distractions.

“In contests like this, you will hear many things, but I chose to keep my eyes on the main ball. My aim was to deliver the message clearly, and once the people accepted it, the rest followed,” he said, adding that unnecessary controversies were ignored to stay on course.

Looking ahead, Mr. Baidoo pledged to prioritize lawful mining and leverage Akwatia’s natural resource potential for development.

“Akwatia’s name has always been tied to mining. You can’t take that away. The important thing is to ensure mining is done lawfully, and that is what we are going to focus on,” he explained.

He highlighted progress already taking shape at the Ghana Consolidated Diamonds (GCD) site, noting that power has been restored to parts of the facility, paving the way for its revival.

“Just before John Mahama came to power, this place was in darkness. Even during the 2024 collation, we relied on solar panels. Today, there is electricity not because of the by-election, but because work had already begun. This is the first step toward getting GCD back on track, which has the potential to employ thousands,” he emphasized.