Rerun Election Set for Ablekuma North Constituency in July 2025

• The Ablekuma North constituency will hold a rerun election on July 11, 2025.
• The Electoral Commission cited verification issues as the reason for the rerun.
• Both the NDC and the NPP disputed results from December 2024 elections.
• There were violent incidents following the initial election results in December.
• The NPP plans to boycott the rerun citing earlier victories and election irregularities.

Controversy Surrounds Rerun Election Decision

In a significant political development, the Ablekuma North constituency in Accra is preparing for a rerun election set for July 11, 2025. This follows a controversial outcome from the December 2024 elections, where the Electoral Commission of Ghana indicated it could not authenticate results from 19 out of 281 polling centers. The need for a rerun has become apparent due to disagreements between the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) over ballot results, leading to accusations of electoral mismanagement from both sides.

NPP’s Response and Legal Battles

Upon declaring the rerun election, the Electoral Commission cited issues with the validity of scanned result sheets that were instrumental during the initial collation. After initial disputes, the NDC claimed there were serious discrepancies with the results presented by the NPP. This has sparked a fierce campaign from the NDC to secure this critical seat, while the NPP is contesting the rerun, claiming their candidate, Akua Afriyie, had won by more than 400 votes previously. The NPP has even threatened to boycott the upcoming election, alleging that the electoral body did not heed a prior court ruling meant to clarify vote counts.

Candidates Campaign Ahead of Rerun

As the date draws near, it remains to be seen how the citizens of Ablekuma North will respond. Both candidates, Akua Afriyie of the NPP and Ewurabena Aubyn of the NDC, are actively campaigning, aiming to sway voters in their favor for what many observers see as a pivotal moment for the constituency. The Electoral Commission has affirmed its readiness to conduct the rerun with significant backing from security services to prevent chaos at the polling centers, which previously marred operations following the December elections. On that occasion, violent outbursts from supporters resulted in damaged electoral materials and significant tension during the counting process, underscoring the politicking landscape leading up to the rerun.

In summary, the upcoming rerun election in Ablekuma North is fraught with controversy following disputed election results from 2024. The NDC is pushing hard for victory, while the NPP contests the rerun, believing they were the legitimate winners all along. With only days left until voters head to the polls, the outcome remains uncertain, but all eyes are certainly on this pivotal election event.