Former Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has condemned the violent incidents that marred the parliamentary rerun in the Ablekuma North constituency on Friday, describing them as a betrayal of Ghana’s democratic values.
In an interview with JoyNews, Dr Bawumia expressed deep concern over the attacks on political actors, journalists, and voters during the election process.
“This is not the democracy that we want to see in Ghana. Our supporters are being attacked by thugs in the presence of the police, who have been unable to protect them,” he said.
He described the scenes as “very disturbing” and warned that the normalisation of political violence could threaten national stability. “This will be a recipe for disaster if each political party will raise its own army,” he cautioned.
The rerun, ordered by the Electoral Commission (EC) in 19 polling stations, was intended to complete the collation of results from the 2024 parliamentary elections. However, the exercise was disrupted by reported acts of intimidation, arrests, and violence, with dramatic scenes at the St Peter’s Society Methodist Church polling station in Odorkor.
Eyewitnesses recounted how unidentified men, arriving in a pickup truck and on motorbikes, stormed the station and attacked several individuals. One of the victims, former Fisheries Minister and ex-MP, Mavis Hawa Koomson, was reportedly thrown to the ground and stomped on before police intervened. Other victims included NPP parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Afriyie and a female party agent, both of whom were injured.
Dr Bawumia called on President John Mahama to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. “I call on the President to take action to bring the perpetrators to book. We will not forget what has happened,” he stressed.
The violence has sparked widespread concern among civil society organisations and electoral observers
Tensions were further inflamed when a GHOne TV journalist, Agyekum Banahene, was allegedly assaulted by a police officer while covering the rerun at the Church of Pentecost, North Odorkor Polling Station 2. Banahene said the officer, without provocation, singled him out, pushed him, and slapped him after he attempted to cover the voting process.
“He just came to approach me that I should leave the premises. Meanwhile, there were other media guys at the premises; he didn’t ask anybody else to leave but asked me,” Banahene said. “He was pushing me and then slapped me in the face for no reason.”
He described the officer’s actions as unprofessional and a violation of press freedom, vowing to file a formal complaint with the Accra Regional Police Command. The Mayor of Accra has since reached out and encouraged him to pursue the appropriate legal channels.
The Electoral Commission has defended the rerun process and denied allegations of political bias, despite the NPP’s withdrawal from the exercise. The EC explained that the rerun was necessary due to disputes over unauthenticated results from the December 7, 2024, general elections.
NPP candidate Nana Akua Afriyie, who defied her party’s withdrawal to contest the rerun, leads with 32,512 votes—just 48 votes ahead of the NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn, who has polled 32,464 votes. Over 6,600 eligible voters were expected to cast their ballots in the rerun.
Meanwhile, police confirmed the arrest of individuals posing as security personnel near the Awoshie DVLA polling station. According to the Municipal Chief Executive for Ga West, John Desmond Nii Sowah Nai, the suspects, dressed in brown uniforms and unable to produce identification, were taken to the Odorkor Police Station for further investigation.
Source: Graphic
