The re-collation of parliamentary election results for Tema Central has come to a halt after the Returning Officer, Mr. Brobbey, cited threats to his personal safety and the absence of political party representatives as reasons for suspending the process.

Speaking to JoyNews, Mr. Brobbey expressed concerns over his safety, stating, “Both parties should be present so that we arrive at a compromise. Because of the threats to my family and myself on that very day, I can’t risk my life.” He further explained that the threats, which continue to affect him, had left him unable to proceed.

The tension erupted after National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate, Ebi Bright, demanded a full re-collation of votes from all polling stations, in accordance with a court order. She insisted that the Electoral Commission (EC) should start the process afresh, rather than continuing from where it had previously ended.

Tempers flared within the collation room, with Ebi Bright and fellow NDC representative, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, expressing their dissatisfaction over the EC’s refusal to comply. Both NDC representatives eventually stormed out of the collation centre in protest, leaving the process stalled.

The decision to pause the re-collation highlights the heightened tensions surrounding the exercise, with heavy security now in place at the Greater Accra Regional EC office.

Meanwhile, the re-collation of Obuasi East results confirmed Patrick Boakye Yiadom of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the winner, securing 18,558 votes, edging out his closest contender, Samuel Aboagye of the NDC, by just 19 votes. An independent candidate, Adjei Owusu Afriyie, trailed with 424 votes.

The re-collation was ordered following disputes over irregularities in the original tally.

Source:TheDotNews