Political analyst, Dr. Kwasi Amakye Boateng, has weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to rerun parliamentary elections in 19 polling stations in the Ablekuma North Constituency.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Joshua Kodjo Mensah on Wednesday, July 9, Dr. Boateng described the 2024 election in the constituency as “problematic” and supported the EC’s call for a rerun.
According to him, several issues compromised the credibility of the initial vote. Notable among them was the discovery that many of the pink sheets used in 16 of the disputed polling stations were photocopies rather than originals.
“The whole thing is an interesting development because there have been several issues which rendered the election in that constituency problematic; the first one relates to the nature of the pink sheet.”
“I’ve spoken to an officer at the EC and he said that several of the pink sheets, I think, with regard to the 16 additional polling stations that they have added to the three to make it 19, that those 16 additional polling stations have photocopies, the pink sheets are photocopies. They are not original pink sheets.,” he explained.
Dr. Boateng also pointed to challenges encountered during the collation of results from three previously acknowledged polling stations.
“And then the second one is what we are all aware, the coalition of the three polling stations, the difficulty involved. And even following the High Court ruling, the EC, even in Parliament, indicated that barring any difficulties, you’ll be able to do the coalition and go ahead to announce. But then, the coalition has faced challenges,” he added.
Given the circumstances, Dr. Boateng said the EC’s decision to consult both the NPP and NDC at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting before proceeding with the rerun was a pragmatic solution.
The Electoral Commission, in a statement dated Wednesday, July 2, announced that fresh elections would be held in the 19 polling stations on Friday, July 11, 2025. This follows months of disagreement between the NPP and NDC over the 2024 parliamentary election results in the constituency.
While the EC maintains that only 18 of the 37 disputed polling stations had verified and approved results, the remaining 19 lacked proper verification, necessitating the rerun.
However, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected the EC’s decision, describing it as unlawful and has threatened legal action. Already, the High Court in Accra has dismissed an injunction application filed by NPP parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Afriyie seeking to halt the rerun.
The court ruled that the EC has a constitutional mandate to ensure electoral representation and that delaying the process would harm constituents.
Ablekuma North has remained without a Member of Parliament since the December 2024 elections due to the unresolved electoral dispute.
The EC has assured the public that, in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, adequate security will be provided to ensure a peaceful and credible rerun.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
