Former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has strongly condemned violent incidents that disrupted voting during Friday’s parliamentary rerun in the Ablekuma North constituency.
Speaking to local broadcaster JoyNews, Dr Bawumia described the events as “very disturbing” and said they represented a betrayal of the democratic values the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had promised to uphold after winning the 2024 general elections.
“This is not the democracy we want to see in Ghana,” he said. “Our supporters are being attacked by thugs in the presence of police who have been unable to protect them.”
The Electoral Commission ordered a rerun in 19 polling stations in Ablekuma North after disputes over unauthenticated results from the December 2024 general elections. But tensions escalated sharply on Friday, with multiple reports of intimidation, arrests, and clashes at several locations.
One of the most serious incidents occurred at the St Peter’s Society Methodist Church polling station in Odorkor. Eyewitnesses say a group of unidentified men—described locally as “macho men”—arrived in a pickup truck and on motorbikes, storming the polling centre and sending voters and electoral officials into panic.
Among those reportedly assaulted were former Member of Parliament and ex-Fisheries Minister Mavis Hawa Koomson, NPP parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Afriyie, and a female party agent. Shocking video footage shared on social media shows Ms Koomson being forced to the ground and reportedly stomped in the chest and groin before police intervened.
A journalist from JoyNews covering the events was also assaulted—slapped and pushed by one of the attackers.
Security has since been increased at affected polling centres, and voting has resumed under tight protection. The Electoral Commission has not yet commented on the violence, but political observers have raised concerns about the growing trend of election-related intimidation in what is considered one of West Africa’s most stable democracies.
Source:TheDotNews