Ablekuma North rerun: Chaos erupts as NPP candidate Nana Akua Afriyie assaulted

Tensions boiled over during the parliamentary rerun in the Ablekuma North constituency on Friday, July 11, when a group of unidentified macho men stormed the St Peter’s Polling Station, violently disrupting the voting process and attacking political figures and journalists.

Channel One News’ Jude Duncan reported that New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie, and a female party agent were both physically assaulted during the incident. They sustained visible facial injuries, including swelling, as a result of the attack.

Former Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Mavis Hawa Koomson, was also caught in the chaos. Eyewitnesses say she was pushed to the ground in the scuffle. Several journalists who were present to cover the election were allegedly targeted and assaulted as well.

Witnesses described the arrival of the attackers as highly coordinated and intimidating, throwing the polling station into confusion. Voters fled the scene, and the election process was brought to a halt. It took the intervention of security forces to restore order and allow the voting to continue.

The Electoral Commission (EC) has not yet issued a formal statement regarding the incident. However, the Ghana Police Service has confirmed that additional security personnel have been deployed to stabilize the situation and prevent further violence.

The rerun in Ablekuma North covers 19 polling stations and was initiated by the Electoral Commission to resolve disputes over results from the December 7, 2024, general elections. The constituency has not had a sitting Member of Parliament since the election, and the rerun is seen as critical to restoring representation.

Although the NPP had earlier announced a boycott of the rerun, citing what it called an unfair decision by the EC, its candidate Nana Akua Afriyie went against the party’s directive and took part in the election. The latest outbreak of violence has heightened tensions in the constituency, raising concerns about security and the overall fairness of the electoral process.