The Electoral Commission (EC) has officially closed polls in the parliamentary rerun held on Friday, July 11, across 19 polling stations in the Ablekuma North constituency, marking a crucial step toward resolving a months-long electoral deadlock.
The rerun was necessitated after the EC declared that results from 19 of the 37 polling stations in the constituency during the December 2024 general elections were unverifiable, requiring fresh voting to ensure transparency and electoral integrity.
The remaining 18 stations had their results certified earlier this year.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), however, fiercely opposed the EC’s decision—accusing the Commission of bias and alleging that the process favoured the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). The party deemed the rerun “unlawful” and publicly declared a boycott, warning it could set a troubling precedent.
Despite this position, the NPP’s parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie, participated in the rerun, defying her party’s directive. Her decision followed the dismissal of a court injunction she filed to halt the process. The court upheld the EC’s constitutional mandate and ruled that further delays would deny the constituents representation in Parliament.
Speaking ahead of the vote, EC Deputy Chair in charge of Corporate Services, Dr. Bossman Asare, dismissed allegations of political manipulation and assured voters that adequate security arrangements were in place in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service.
The rerun, however, was not without controversy. Violent incidents marred the process, particularly at the Odorkor Methodist Church polling station, where former Fisheries Minister and Awutu Senya East MP, Mavis Hawa Koomson, allegedly discharged pepper spray during a scuffle, prompting a temporary halt in voting.
At the St. Peter’s polling station, tensions escalated when unidentified men—believed to be political thugs—attacked journalists and party agents. Victims included Nana Akua Afriyie and a female polling agent, both of whom sustained visible facial injuries. Hawa Koomson was also reportedly injured in the melee.
Ablekuma North has remained without parliamentary representation since the 2024 elections due to prolonged legal disputes and collation challenges. The EC has reaffirmed that this rerun is essential to concluding the electoral process and restoring effective representation for constituents.
With voting now officially closed, attention turns to the collation of results and whether the conclusion of this rerun will finally bring closure to the political uncertainty in the area.
The election however recorded a low voter turnout.
