The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it is fully prepared to contest Friday’s rerun of the parliamentary election in Ablekuma North, despite the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) announced boycott.
Speaking in an interview with TV3 on Tuesday, the NDC’s Deputy Director of Elections and IT, Sofo Rashid Tanko—popularly known as Tanko-Computer—said the party was undeterred by the NPP’s withdrawal and was intensifying its campaign efforts on the ground.
“We are ready for the election come Friday. As I speak to you now, I’m just coming from an engagement with the electorate in Ablekuma North,” he said.
He added that the NDC’s grassroots mobilisation had been scaled up in the lead-up to the rerun, which covers 19 polling stations. The party remains confident of capturing the seat, long held by the NPP since Ghana’s return to multi-party democracy in 1996.
“We want to give the NPP a befitting defeat,” he declared.
Background
The rerun of parliamentary elections in Ablekuma North follows a protracted legal and political battle over disputed results in the 2024 general elections. The High Court in January 2025 ordered the Electoral Commission to complete the collation of results in 62 polling stations. However, after further internal review, the Commission opted for a rerun in 19 of those stations, citing procedural irregularities.
The NPP’s 2024 parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie, recently lost a court bid to stop the rerun. She maintains that her original victory was legitimate and backed by certified pink sheets, arguing that the rerun lacks legal justification. The party has since announced it will not participate in Friday’s vote.
The NDC, however, is treating the rerun as an opportunity to win the seat for the first time and has urged its supporters to turn out in full force. With the NPP absent from the ballot, the rerun is widely expected to tilt in the NDC’s favour—unless low voter turnout or legal complications interfere.
As the political showdown approaches, all eyes are on Ablekuma North to see whether the NDC can finally flip one of the NPP’s most enduring strongholds.
