Violence and confusion disrupted the parliamentary rerun in the Ablekuma North Constituency on Friday, July 11, after a chaotic scene involving former Awutu Senya East MP, Mavis Hawa Koomson.
Eyewitnesses claim the former minister was at the centre of tensions at the Odorkor Methodist Church polling station, where she allegedly discharged pepper spray during an altercation, forcing voting to pause temporarily.
The incident sparked outrage and panic among voters, leading to further confrontations at St. Peter’s polling station, where a group of unidentified men believed to be political thugs stormed the area.
The attackers reportedly assaulted several individuals, including New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Afriyie and a female polling agent. Both victims sustained visible facial injuries, witnesses say.
Hawa Koomson, who was present in support of her party, also sustained injuries in the chaos.
The situation prompted a swift response from security personnel, who moved in to calm tensions and restore order, allowing the election process to continue.
The rerun, supervised by the Electoral Commission (EC), is taking place across 19 polling stations in the constituency, following verification issues that marred the December 2024 general elections.
Eighteen of the originally disputed 37 polling stations had their results certified, necessitating fresh voting in the remaining 19 to complete the collation.
Since the 2024 elections, Ablekuma North has lacked a Member of Parliament due to unresolved disputes.
The EC maintains that the current exercise is critical to concluding the electoral process and restoring parliamentary representation.
