Suspected thugs, allegedly linked to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have vandalized the collation centre at the Greater Accra Regional Office of the Electoral Commission (EC).
The attack occurred as media personnel and officials were gathered to resume the collation of parliamentary election results for the Ablekuma North constituency.
Eyewitnesses reported that over 40 individuals stormed the premises, forcing everyone to leave before proceeding to destroy property, including louvre blades and doors.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, raising concerns over the security of the collation process and the integrity of the election results in the constituency.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement, and it is unclear whether any arrests have been made. The collation process for the Ablekuma North parliamentary election was scheduled to resume at the old EC head office in Ridge, Greater Accra, on Friday.
The process, which has been plagued by delays and disagreements, encountered its most recent setback on January 8, 2025, when the Returning Officer, Vincent Obeng, resigned following disputes over the authentication of pink sheets.
Obeng had previously informed the media that the collation was nearly complete, with results from four out of seven remaining polling stations finalised.
However, disagreements regarding the verification of results from three polling stations caused the process to be suspended for the sixth time.
Ablekuma North Constituency, with a total of 281 polling stations, has verified results from 278 of them. The remaining three stations have become points of contention between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Obeng expressed his frustration with the prolonged process, stating, “It’s so unfortunate for me to make this statement that I’m done with Ablekuma North,” as he announced his resignation. His departure has added complexity to an already tense situation.
Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, the EC’s Director of Training, confirmed the suspension of the collation exercise, calling Obeng’s resignation “unfortunate.” He also noted that the EC would engage with Obeng to explore the possibility of him reconsidering his decision.
Musah Kalamu, the NDC’s Ablekuma North Constituency Organiser, objected to the use of scanned pink sheets for verification and called for a rerun of results in 62 polling stations where discrepancies had been raised. Of these, 59 have now been verified, leaving three unresolved.
On the other hand, the NPP, represented by its Director of Research and Elections, Evans Nimako, and its parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Owusu Afriye, remains confident that the true results will prevail.
Ablekuma North is the only constituency still embroiled in disputes over the 2024 parliamentary election results.
The resumption of the collation process today is expected to bring clarity to the contested results. Both the NPP and NDC will be present at the collation centre, with the EC working to ensure a transparent and conclusive process.
The contest for the parliamentary seat remains between the NPP’s Nana Akua Owusu Afriye and the NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn, with tensions running high as the constituency eagerly awaits the final outcome.
