The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Elections and Research Officer in the Ablekuma North Constituency, Jones de Graft-Darkwa, has strongly criticised Presidential Advisor Dr. Valerie Sawyerr for demanding a rerun in 62 polling stations insisting such interventions risk compromising the Electoral Commission’s independence and eroding public trust in Ghana’s democratic institutions.
His sharp response follows a public statement issued by Dr. Sawyerr, in which she accused the Electoral Commission of compromising the integrity of the December 7, 2024, parliamentary election in Ablekuma North. In her commentary, titled “The Saga of the Scanned Pink Sheets & Ablekuma North”, Dr. Sawyerr criticised the EC’s use of scanned pink sheets allegedly provided by the NPP in the absence of original carbonated forms, describing the situation as a “diabolic drama.”
“No ground stomping, no walks from Timbuktu to Accra… will make what is wrong… right,” she charged, calling on EC Chairperson Jean Mensa to “order a rerun at the sixty-two (62) polling stations… and stop wasting our time.”
In a rebuttal issued on Friday, June 14, Jones de Graft-Darkwa pushed back saying “Let me state emphatically that any talk of a rerun in Ablekuma North, whether for the entire constituency or select polling stations, is completely without justification or constitutional basis.”
He emphasised that the EC alone has the legal authority to conduct and conclude elections, stressing that any attempt by political actors to influence the process constitutes dangerous interference. “The recent comments from these high-ranking officials not only undermine that independence but also risk setting a dangerous precedent in which political pressure overrides the law and due process,” he said.
The EC is yet to declare the parliamentary results in Ablekuma North more than six months after voting. It has cited the lack of security support as the primary reason the collation could not be completed—an issue Jones de Graft-Darkwa says must be resolved urgently.
“It is deeply troubling for anyone, especially government officials, to be calling for a rerun when the lawful process has not been concluded simply due to an apparent failure, or refusal, to guarantee the Commission the security it needs to operate,” he said. “Ironically, any rerun (should one occur), would require even greater security arrangements. So why are these calls being made at all?”
He urged the Ghana Police Service and the Inspector-General of Police to give the EC the necessary protection to finish its collation process and declare the results.
“The constituents of Ablekuma North have exercised their constitutional right to vote… it is not for politicians, regardless of their office, to decide whether an election should be rerun,” he said.
“This moment calls for leadership, not political gamesmanship. The EC must be allowed to assert its independence, complete the collation process, and declare the results without further delay. Anything less is a betrayal of our democracy.”