We Will Not be Part of Any Election Rerun in Ablekuma North - NPP

Jul 8, 2025 - 12:32

Accra, Ghana - 8 July, 2025 - Ghana’s opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has vowed to boycott a rerun of parliamentary elections in 19 polling stations in Ablekuma North constituency, escalating a bitter dispute with the Electoral Commission (EC) over alleged irregularities in the 2024 vote.

The NPP’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, declared on 8 July 2025 that the party’s candidate, Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie, was the rightful winner and accused the EC of attempting to subvert the electorate’s will, intensifying political tensions in the West African nation.

The controversy erupted after the EC announced on 1 July 2025 that it would rerun elections in 19 of Ablekuma North’s 37 polling stations on 11 July, following disputes over the December 2024 parliamentary election. The commission cited irregularities, particularly the lack of presiding officers’ signatures on some scanned results, which it said prevented proper verification during collation.

The Ablekuma North seat, a stronghold of the NPP, has been in limbo since the vote, with both the NPP and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) claiming victory.

The NDC’s candidate, Ewurabena Aubynn, was initially declared the winner by some EC officials, prompting protests and legal challenges from the NPP.

Addressing journalists in Accra, Mr. Kodua rejected the rerun as “unlawful” and “disingenuous,” insisting that results from all but three of the constituency’s 62 polling stations had been verified by party agents and EC officials, as ordered by a High Court ruling on 4 January 2025.

He claimed Ms. Afriyie secured 34,613 votes against Ms. Aubynn’s 34,199, citing pink sheets in the NPP’s possession. “We will not participate in any rerun in Ablekuma North,” he said, warning that the EC’s decision risked setting a “dangerous precedent” for Ghana’s democracy.

The NPP has since filed an injunction to halt the rerun, arguing that only a court, not the EC, can order fresh polls under Ghanaian law.The dispute traces back to 7 December 2024, when violence and disruptions at collation centres stalled the Ablekuma North results. On 8 January 2025, the constituency’s returning officer resigned amid allegations of discrepancies in pink sheets, further delaying the process.

The EC’s attempt to collate outstanding results was suspended seven times due to security concerns, with clashes reported between NPP and NDC supporters.