Police have taken custody of a ballot box containing votes for the Constituency Secretary position in the Yilo Krobo Constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) following a dispute over a request for a recount at Wawase.
The dispute erupted after a six-vote difference was recorded between the two candidates, Raymond Eku Tetteh and Herbert Anyanumeh Tetteh, prompting the latter’s agent to request a recount.
The request was reportedly rejected by the Member of Parliament Albert Nyakotey and the Electoral Commission’s District Director, triggering heated exchanges at the voting centre.
The disagreement created tension at the polling centre and prevented the declaration of the Constituency Secretary results despite Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey for the request for recount to be granted to bring finality to the situation.
The ballot box was subsequently handed over to the police for safekeeping pending the resolution of the dispute.
The Yilo Krobo Constituency Communications Officer of the NDC, Emmanuel Akumatey Okrah, defended the Regional Minister’s intervention, insisting that her presence was intended to address security concerns and ensure that peaceful outcome of the election.
He explained that the minister, as head of the Regional Security Council, intervened after her attention was drawn to the security situation at the voting centre.
According to him, candidates and their agents were entitled to raise concerns before the official declaration of results.
He said the request for a recount had been raised by the agents and the candidates themselves but was rejected by the District Electoral Commission Director.
“The candidates have the opportunity at any time before declaration to raise issues that they are not happy with. And in this particular case, the agents did raise the issue,” he said.
Mr Akumatey Okrah questioned why the request was rejected, suggesting that the circumstances surrounding the decision required further explanation.
The constituency communications officer also challenged an allegation attributed to the MP that eight additional ballot papers had been introduced into the ballot box.
He said the allegation needed to be substantiated, particularly because the ballot box was now in police custody.
“If you are able to confidently say that some eight votes have been added to ballot papers that have already been counted, you can make that claim in public. That means that you must be in a position to substantiate such claims,” he stated.
The Election Committee of the NDC, police and Electoral Commission are yet to make determination on the impasse.
