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The collation of parliamentary election results for the Ablekuma North Constituency is set to continue today at 8 am at the old head office of the Electoral Commission (EC) in Ridge, Greater Accra.
The process, which has been marred by repeated delays and disagreements, faced its most recent setback on January 8 when the returning officer, Vincent Obeng, resigned amid disputes over the authentication of pink sheets.
Obeng had earlier indicated that the collation was nearly complete, with results from four out of seven remaining polling stations finalised.
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However, disagreements over the verification of results from three polling stations led to another suspension of the process.
The Ablekuma North Constituency, which has a total of 281 polling stations, has verified results from 278 of them, leaving three polling stations in dispute between the two main political parties—the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Mr. Obeng’s resignation added another layer of complexity to the ongoing process. He expressed frustration, saying, “It’s so unfortunate for me to make this statement that I’m done with Ablekuma North,” as he announced his departure.
Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, the EC’s Director of Training, confirmed the suspension of the collation exercise and described Obeng’s resignation as “unfortunate.”
He also stated that the EC would engage with the returning officer to explore the possibility of him reconsidering his decision.
The NDC’s Ablekuma North Constituency Organiser, Musah Kalamu, raised concerns over the use of scanned pink sheets for verification and called for a rerun of results in 62 polling stations where discrepancies were alleged. Of these, 59 stations have now been verified, leaving three still in dispute.
On the other hand, the NPP, represented by its Director of Research and Elections, Evans Nimako, and its parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Owusu Afriye, remains confident that the truth will prevail in the final results.
Ablekuma North is the only constituency still embroiled in a dispute over parliamentary election results from the 2024 elections. As the collation process resumes today, both parties will be present at the EC’s office, with hopes for a transparent and conclusive resolution.
The contest for the parliamentary seat continues to be between the NPP’s Nana Akua Owusu Afriye and the NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn, with tensions remaining high as the constituency awaits the final verdict.
