Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has condemned the violence that marred the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun, warning that such acts erode the country’s democratic reputation on the global stage.
The rerun, held on Friday, July 11, in 19 polling stations, was marked by chaotic scenes as thugs invaded voting centres, assaulting several people including former Minister for Fisheries Hawa Koomson, and even journalists.
The incidents forced voting at St. Peter’s Polling Station and others places that experienced similar incidences, to be suspended for hours.
In a social media post on Saturday, July 12, the journalist criticised political party supporters who justify or celebrate violence when it favours their side, calling such behaviour a betrayal of Ghana’s democratic ideals.
“Be worried that it makes you and me (Ghanaians) look like animals in the eyes of the world. Human beings are supposed to choose leaders. It happens all over the world… We are not animals to go out to beat one another because of an election,” he wrote.
He cautioned that the cycle of electoral violence not only undermines the credibility of elections but also damages the collective image of Ghanaians.
“We don’t have to maim and kill one another to elect people to go to parliament. That’s not what human beings are expected to do,” Manasseh stressed.
The Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun, which saw the National Democratic Congress’ Ewurabena Aubynn emerge victorious, was held in areas where results from the 2024 elections were not certified by Electoral Commission officers due to violence.
