NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn (L) and NPP’s Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie (R) both contesting Ablekuma North
GhanaWeb feature by Mandy Agyemang
It has been approximately 96 days since the 2024 general elections, in which Ghanaian voters cast their ballots to determine the nation’s leadership for the next four years.
President John Dramani Mahama was elected, signaling a change in government and the election of new parliamentary representatives.
Many constituencies knew their results by the close of polls on December 7, 2024, sparking celebrations or disappointments for either incumbent or newly-elected lawmakers who were confirmed to represent the interests of constituents in Parliament, or those who lost out.
However, this was not the case for some constituencies, where the parliamentary results were contested due to reported discrepancies and procedural issues.
The results of twelve parliamentary seats in twelve constituencies were disputed, including the Ablekuma North seat.
While the remaining 11 constituencies have since had their winners declared, following a court order for the Electoral Commission to re-collate their results, Ablekuma North remains a lone constituency with unresolved collation.
Setback
The re-collation process for Ablekuma North encountered another setback after six attempts, resulting in chaos during the seventh attempt.
A group of men, allegedly affiliated with both the NDC and NPP, stormed the Electoral Commission’s office in January 2025, causing significant damages to properties, including louvre blades, which eventually led to the halting of the process.
This disruption led to the suspension of the exercise once again, leaving the results and declaration since then in limbo.
‘Thank You’ Billboards
Both parliamentary candidates: Ewurabena Aubynn of the NDC and Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie of the NPP, have declared victory for themselves.
Notably, the EC declared victory for the NDC, only to later reverse the decision and declare the NPP as the winner.
Despite the lack of an official declaration by the EC, both candidates have since erected “Thank You” billboards across the constituency to express their gratitude to constituents.
Ewurabena Aubynn’s Statement
Unperturbed by the holdup and setback, Ewurabena Aubynn, the NDC’s 2024 parliamentary candidate, has expressed her confidence that she will ultimately be declared the winner once the process is concluded.
“I have no doubt that eventually, things will fall into place. I’ve been declared, and it has been back and forth, but I am confident the right thing will be done by the EC. Sadly, it’s taken longer than expected,” she told GhanaWeb.
Electoral Commission
The Electoral Commission maintains that it remains committed to ensuring a free and fair election and has indicated plans to engage with both political parties involved to discuss the next steps for resolving the Ablekuma North dispute.
During an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held on February 26, 2025, at the EC’s corporate office in Accra, the EC Chairperson emphasised that the meeting would involve detailed discussions on the matter.
“We will have an in-depth meeting to discuss it,” the EC Chairperson was quoted as saying by JoyNews.
Legal Battle
Meanwhile, the court has granted substituted service, allowing a bailiff to serve NPP’s Nana Akua Afriyie with documents related to the case.
Her failure to respond could impact the declaration of the results of the seat and may result in the court proceeding with the case in her absence.
As time passes, the situation in Ablekuma North appears to be gradually fading from the public’s attention, with every passing day, making the resolution of the dispute seem more distant and the hope of the constituents dwindling.
MAG/AE
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