A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal and communications team, Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu, has condemned the assault on former Fisheries Minister Mavis Hawa Koomson during the parliamentary rerun in the Ablekuma North Constituency, but says her political history may have influenced the reaction she received.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Monday, July 14, Adawudu said that while the attack on the former Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East is unacceptable, her past conduct in Ghanaian politics might have contributed to the hostility she encountered.
“Why will you even go to a polling station holding pepper spray? What was the motive? You are only going there to monitor, so why go with that?” he questioned. “People from the NPP were there, high-ranking people, and they were not attacked. She should have known. I have always said that if you live by the sword, you must always die by the sword.”
Adawudu argued that Koomson’s political brand has long been associated with aggressive conduct, which may have heightened tensions upon her arrival at the polling centre.
“The optics and the brand for Mavis Hawa Koomson are associated with violence, which may not be good for her. When she arrived and the tension rose, her intelligence should have warned her that the place was not safe for her. This is not a justification. Of course, the incident should be condemned.”
The incident occurred on Friday, July 11, when a group of unidentified men stormed the St. Peter’s Society Methodist Church polling station, disrupting the election process and causing panic among voters and officials.
Channel One News’ Jude Duncan reported that both Hawa Koomson and the NPP’s parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie, were physically assaulted during the chaos, with both sustaining facial injuries.
Security personnel were later deployed to restore calm and allow the polls to proceed.
The Electoral Commission organised the rerun in 19 polling stations across Ablekuma North to resolve an outstanding dispute from the December 7, 2024, general elections. The constituency had remained without a Member of Parliament since then.
At the close of polls on July 11, the NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn was declared the MP-elect with 34,090 votes, narrowly defeating the NPP’s Nana Akua Afriyie, who polled 33,881 votes.