The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of deploying disruptive tactics at parliamentary collation centres in constituencies where the NDC is alleged to have lost.
According to the NPP, these actions include destroying election materials, attacking election officials, and using threats to compel results declarations in their favour.
At a press conference held at the party’s national secretariat, the NPP leadership alleged that NDC operatives orchestrated attacks to undermine the integrity of collation processes in several constituencies, including Ablekuma North, Tema Central, Dome Kwabenya, and Techiman South, among others.
The NPP said that NDC “hoodlums” engaged in a series of unlawful activities at collation centres, such as:
- Destroying pink sheets and ballot boxes.
- Assaulting electoral officers and party representatives.
- Forcing returning officers to declare NDC candidates as winners without completing collation.
“These lawless acts only point to one conclusion: the NDC knows they have lost in these constituencies and are desperately trying to erase evidence of their defeat,” the NPP stated.
Constituency Highlights
Ablekuma North:
NPP candidate Nana Akua Owusu Afriyieh reportedly secured victory with 34,613 votes against NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn, who garnered 34,199 votes. The collation process was disrupted by NDC supporters, forcing the Electoral Commission (EC) to move proceedings to the regional office. The NPP accused the NDC of threatening the returning officer to declare their candidate without completing the collation.
Tema Central:
The NPP candidate, Charles Forson, is said to have won by a narrow margin of 55 votes. However, the collation was disrupted multiple times, with NDC representatives allegedly replacing the returning officer and forcing a declaration in their favour, excluding results from two polling stations.
Dome Kwabenya:
The NPP parliamentary candidate, Ambassador Mike Oquaye Jr., claimed victory but alleged that the NDC interrupted the collation process by attacking the collation centre, destroying materials, and burning ballot boxes.
Techiman South:
The NPP asserted that their candidate, Martin Kweku Adjei-Mensah Korsah, won with 46,468 votes against the NDC’s Christopher Bayare, who polled 43,365 votes. The collation process remains incomplete due to disruptions.
The Electoral Commission (EC) has acknowledged the disruptions, confirming that no proper declarations were made in several constituencies, including Ablekuma North, Dome Kwabenya, and Tema Central. Samuel Tettey, Deputy EC Chair, emphasised that results declared under duress are illegal and will not be upheld.
The NPP reiterated that only fully collated and declared results can be gazetted by the EC. The party called on the NDC to seek redress in court if they dispute the results, rather than resorting to violence.
The NPP urged the Electoral Commission and law enforcement agencies to uphold the rule of law and ensure the integrity of the electoral process. They remain confident that when collation resumes in the affected constituencies, the rightful winners will be confirmed.