New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, Nana Akua Afriyie, has alleged that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) deployed macho men and hoodlums to disrupt voting in the ongoing parliamentary rerun.
Speaking to the media on Friday, July 11, 2025, Afriyie claimed that her visits to 16 polling stations revealed a troubling pattern of intimidation and violence.
“I have visited 16 polling stations today, and all of them had macho men, thugs, and hoodlums everywhere. I was personally assaulted, and so was one of my agents. I call on the IGP to take swift action because even his own policemen are being assaulted by the hoodlums,” she said.
Her comments come amid rising tensions in the constituency, where voting was temporarily halted at some polling stations due to violent incidents.
One of the most chaotic scenes unfolded at the Odorkor Methodist Church polling station, where former Awutu Senya East MP, Mavis Hawa Koomson, was allegedly involved in a confrontation.
Eyewitnesses claim the former minister sprayed pepper during the altercation, triggering panic and forcing a temporary suspension of voting.
The violence intensified at the St. Peter’s polling station, where a group of unidentified men believed to be political thugs stormed the area, attacking political party agents and journalists.
Among the victims were Akua Afriyie herself and a female polling agent, both of whom sustained visible facial injuries.
Hawa Koomson was also reportedly injured during the melee.
Security personnel were deployed to restore calm, allowing the rerun to continue under tight surveillance.
In response to the chaos, Interior Minister Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka issued a firm warning, stating that any violations of the law during the rerun will be treated as criminal offenses.
He stressed that status or political affiliation would not shield anyone from prosecution.
“All infractions during the Ablekuma North rerun will be treated as criminal offenses, and anyone found flouting the law—irrespective of who they are—will be dealt with accordingly,” he told GHOne News.
The Electoral Commission (EC) is supervising the rerun in 19 polling stations across the Ablekuma North Constituency.
The vote was necessitated by unresolved verification issues from the December 2024 general elections.
While 18 of the 37 disputed polling stations had already been validated, the remaining 19 required fresh balloting to complete the collation process.
