Voting has officially ended in the parliamentary rerun at Ablekuma North, capping a day of high political drama, violent incidents, and sharp partisan disagreements.
The Electoral Commission (EC) supervised the exercise across 19 polling stations on Friday, July 11, in a bid to resolve a long-standing electoral dispute dating back to the December 2024 general elections.
The Commission previously confirmed that while 18 out of 37 polling stations had their results validated, the remaining 19 needed fresh voting due to unresolved verification issues.
The rerun, intended to restore parliamentary representation to the constituency, was fraught with challenges. Tensions flared early in the day, with reports of violence at multiple polling centres.
At the Odorkor Methodist Church polling station, a confrontation involving former Awutu Senya East MP, Mavis Hawa Koomson, resulted in a temporary suspension of voting.
Witnesses allege she discharged pepper spray amid the chaos.
Elsewhere, at the St. Peter’s polling station, unidentified individuals believed to be political thugs assaulted party officials and journalists.
New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Afriyie and a female polling agent were among those injured. Hawa Koomson was also reportedly hurt during the disturbances.
The NPP had earlier described the rerun as illegitimate and politically motivated, accusing the EC of acting in favour of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Despite the party’s official boycott, its candidate, Akua Afriyie, went ahead to participate—citing the need to defend her mandate after a court dismissed her injunction request to halt the rerun.
Responding to criticism, the EC maintained that it was fulfilling its constitutional duty and denied any political bias. Deputy EC Chair Dr. Bossman Asare assured the public that adequate security had been deployed in collaboration with the police to ensure order.
Ablekuma North has remained without a Member of Parliament since the 2024 polls due to the electoral stalemate.
With voting now concluded, attention shifts to the collation of results and whether the outcome will finally put an end to months of legal and political wrangling.
