Since when did you begin to feel that the EC is wrong – Imoru Ayarna slams NPP

Public interest advocate Rodaline Imoru Ayarna has urged the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to accept the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to conduct a re-run of elections in 19 polling stations in the Ablekuma North Constituency.

Speaking on TV3’s New Day on Thursday, July 3, Madam Imoru Ayarna expressed surprise at the NPP’s opposition to the EC’s latest move, pointing out that the party had previously defended the Commission’s autonomy while in power.

“I am asking, since when did the NPP begin to feel that the EC is probably wrong or that they are not happy with the EC? I thought the EC is autonomous. That’s what we’ve always been told — that the EC is autonomous and whatever the EC says is what goes. So, what changed?”

She added that the NPP should accept the EC’s decision “in good faith,” just as many Ghanaians have done over the years. “If today the EC has decided that this is what it wants to do, they should just accept it in good faith because a lot of us accepted everything the EC said in good faith over the years.”

The EC recently announced a re-run of the parliamentary elections in 19 of the 37 polling stations in the Ablekuma North Constituency. The area has remained without a sitting Member of Parliament since the December 2024 general elections due to disputes over results in several polling stations.

The re-run is scheduled to take place on Friday, July 11, following a meeting between officials of the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday, July 1.

However, the NPP’s 2024 parliamentary candidate for the area, Akua Afriyie, has rejected the EC’s decision, arguing that it contradicts an earlier position the Commission took.

According to her, EC officials had previously stated under oath in Parliament that only three polling stations were in dispute—not 19. She therefore sees the new decision as a reversal that lacks proper justification.

The EC has not yet responded to her claims, but the debate continues as the re-run date approaches.