The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has forcefully denied allegations that it deployed thugs to disrupt the parliamentary rerun in the Ablekuma North constituency, following a violent incident that briefly halted voting on Friday, July 11.
Rashid Tanko-Computer, Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the NDC, refuted the claims in an interview with Citi News’ Hanson Agyemang shortly after the Electoral Commission declared Ewurabena Aubynn the winner of the fiercely contested rerun.
“What is the illegality here? NDC has not deployed any macho men anywhere; we have full confidence in the state security. We won the election on the basis of our track record,” he stated.
The disturbance unfolded at the St. Peter’s Society polling station, one of the 19 centres involved in the rerun, when unidentified men stormed the premises, attacking voters and causing chaos. Among those reportedly assaulted were NPP parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Afriyie and former Fisheries Minister Mavis Hawa Koomson.
Citi News journalist Jude Duncan confirmed the assault on both women, prompting the deployment of additional security forces to stabilise the situation. Voting later resumed under heightened security.
Tanko-Computer dismissed the notion that the NDC orchestrated the attack, instead placing responsibility on the appropriate authorities to investigate and act. “That falls within their domain,” he said, calling on the police to determine the identities and motives of the attackers.
The Electoral Commission conducted the rerun in response to unresolved issues from the December 7, 2024, general elections, which left the seat vacant. After months of legal wrangling and political tension, the rerun brought a decisive end to the impasse.
Ewurabena Aubynn secured victory with 34,090 votes, narrowly edging out the NPP’s Nana Akua Afriyie, who garnered 33,881. The result marks a historic shift in Ablekuma North, a seat the NPP had controlled almost uninterrupted since 1996.
This win brings the NDC’s total parliamentary seats to 184, giving the party a commanding two-thirds majority in the House.
Despite the tension surrounding the rerun, the NDC has reiterated that it conducted a clean campaign and won based on performance—not violence.
With the outcome now settled, calls are mounting for a thorough investigation to ensure that those responsible for the disruption at the St. Peter’s polling station are held accountable.
