National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha, has criticised the Electoral Commission (EC) over its decision to rerun the parliamentary election in 19 polling stations within the Ablekuma North Constituency.
He announced that the party has filed an interlocutory injunction to restrain the Electoral Commission from proceeding with the rerun.
The decision for a rerun, announced by the EC, follows disputes over the authenticity of results from the December 7, 2024, general elections. However, the NPP described the EC’s directive as “unjust” and insists no consensus was reached during consultations with stakeholders.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One Newsroom with Charles Owusu Kumi on Sunday, July 6, Salam Mustapha accused the EC of setting a dangerous precedent.
He warned that the EC’s move could undermine confidence in Ghana’s electoral system if not checked.
“We have filed an interlocutory injunction in court; it cannot be; the EC doesn’t have the power to decide to rerun elections in selected polling stations. If we allow this to go, it sets a dangerous precedent in our electoral system.
“That when a party realises that it is losing an election, it can come and destroy everything and press for a rerun in polling stations it feels and chooses. We can’t accept this; this is not democracy. The EC should go to court to get the court to order a rerun,” he stated.
Background
The December 7, 2024, general elections saw Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie contest as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, while Ewurabena Aubynn stood on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
However, the constituency has remained without a Member of Parliament for over six months due to a dispute over the collation of results from some polling centres. This prolonged impasse has effectively stalled parliamentary representation for constituents.
Preliminary results released by the Electoral Commission (EC) showed Nana Akua narrowly winning the seat with 34,613 votes, against Aubynn’s 34,199 — a margin of just 414 votes.
The NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn rejected the results, claiming she was the legitimate winner. She further alleged electoral irregularities, including the fabrication of pink sheets and collusion between EC officials and the NPP.
On January 17, the collation process was suspended after alleged acts of vandalism at the EC’s Greater Accra office, prompting the NDC to stage a protest vigil in demand for transparency.
The alleged vandalism linked to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) resulted in the ransacking of the collation centre at the Greater Accra Regional Office of the Electoral Commission.
The Electoral Commission was scheduled to resume the collation of parliamentary election results for the Ablekuma North constituency on Friday, January 17, 2025.
However, the process was interrupted when more than 40 individuals stormed the venue, demanding that everyone vacate the premises and vandalise property, including louvre blades and doors.
The controversy intensified after a fire in December 2024 destroyed ballot materials stored overnight at a facility in Kwashieman, raising further concerns over the integrity of the electoral process.
On June 4, the Minority Caucus formally petitioned the Ghana Police Service to provide adequate security to facilitate a safe and transparent re-collation process.
During a parliamentary briefing on June 19, the Electoral Commission explained that the delay in completing the collation of results stemmed from the absence of legal advice from the Attorney General’s Department. The Commission also called on Parliament to assist in securing police protection for EC officials, party agents, and stakeholders during the process.
On July 2, 2025, the EC announced a rerun in 19 out of the 281 polling stations in the constituency, citing issues with unverified scanned pink sheets as the basis for its decision.
While the NDC welcomed the rerun and expressed confidence in Ewurabena Aubynn’s chances, the NPP strongly condemned the move, describing it as overreach by the EC and claiming it lacked legal precedent.
With the rerun now scheduled for July 11, both the NPP and NDC are intensifying campaign efforts in what is shaping up to be a high-stakes political contest. The outcome will determine whether Nana Akua retains the seat or Ewurabena Aubynn secures her entry into Parliament.