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The High Court in Accra has dismissed an attempt by the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, Nana Akua Afriyie, to stop the Electoral Commission (EC) from conducting a rerun of parliamentary elections in 19 polling stations.
The EC, in a press statement dated Wednesday, July 2, announced that fresh elections would be held in the 19 polling stations on Friday, July 11, 2025.
This follows months of disagreement between the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the results of the 2024 parliamentary election in the constituency.
The NPP candidate as a result proceeded to court to halt the process, describing it as unlawful.
In a ruling delivered on Wednesday, July 10, Justice Ali Baba Abature described the ex parte injunction application as “unmeritorious” and ruled that the Electoral Commission has the constitutional mandate to proceed with the rerun, scheduled for Friday, July 11, 2025.
The court noted that any delay in the rerun would deprive residents of Ablekuma North of parliamentary representation.
Afriyie’s legal team, led by NPP Director of Legal Affairs Gary Nimako Marfo, argued that the EC’s move was in direct conflict with a January 4, 2025 High Court ruling, which instructed the Commission to complete the collation of outstanding results from only three polling stations, not 19.
The team further contended that certified results—commonly referred to as pink sheets—had already been signed by presiding officers and party agents, making any rerun unwarranted and unlawful.
They pointed to Regulation 42 of C.I. 127, which only permits a rerun in the event of a tie—something the EC had not claimed.
They also argued that if the EC faced difficulties in executing the January judgment, it should have returned to court for direction rather than making a unilateral decision to hold fresh elections.
They claimed this action amounted to defying a lawful court order.
However, Justice Abature emphasized that the applicant failed to establish that the existing results could be lawfully declared without further verification by presiding officers, as required by C.I. 127.
The ruling clears the way for the Electoral Commission to proceed with the planned rerun on Friday, July 11.
The EC has also defended its decision, explaining that of the 37 disputed polling stations, results from 18 were verified and approved by presiding officers and party agents.
However, the remaining 19 lacked proper verification, necessitating the rerun.
The Ablekuma North Constituency has remained without a Member of Parliament since the December 2024 elections due to the unresolved dispute.
The EC has assured the public that adequate security measures, in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, will be in place to ensure a peaceful and credible rerun on July 11.
