Ablekuma North electoral violence: We must bow our heads in shame
The shocking scenes of violence and voter intimidation that marred Friday’s parliamentary partial rerun in Ablekuma North in the Greater Accra Region are not just a national disgrace, but a major blot on the much-touted democratic credentials of the country.
That a simple voting process in just 19 polling stations could boil over to that level of violence was most unfortunate.
We are appalled by the seeming tendency to resort to violence to settle electoral matters as if no lessons were learnt from the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election in 2019.
Viral videos showing thuggery by party faithful and political actors make for poor commentary about Ghana’s electoral processes.
It is obvious that the irrelevance of the seat to the fortunes of the contending parties, namely the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), in parliamentary affairs, could not tamper with the prospects of violence in just 19 polling stations.
We find all of the events of last Friday at Ablekuma North troubling because of the implications for future polling events.
The relatively peaceful by-election at Assin North in 2023, and then at Ejisu, gave the impression that the police had mastered the art of elections policing until the police looked to have been overwhelmed at just a single polling station in Ablekuma North.
Among the most disturbing incidents was the assault on Hawa Koomson, a former Member of Parliament and Minister of State. Allegations that she sprayed pepper into the eyes of a supposed thug makes the whole thing even more worrying.
Such behaviour by a former lawmaker undermines the very democracy she once swore to serve.
The plight of all those who suffered some form of violence must not be forgotten in the broader condemnation of this electoral disgrace.
In all honesty, what happened last Friday was not a depiction of democracy; that was criminality masquerading as an electoral process.
Ghana has long prided itself on being a beacon of peaceful elections in West Africa.
Yet, the Ablekuma North incident threatened to erode that hard-earned reputation.
Perhaps, the apparent indifference by state actors in the past, or the slow pace of justice in dealing appropriately with perpetrators has emboldened others to see such acts as part of the electoral culture.
Evidently the police deployed unarmed personnel for the partial rerun.
We trust the judgement of our security agencies but the incidents suggested the deployment might have ignored the relevant intelligence.
While the original election in December 2024 in Ablekuma North was relatively smooth, the collation process was never without chaos. The original collation travelled into days, only for the Electoral Commission (EC) to nullify the victory of Ewurabena Aubynn of the NDC.
Since then, the tango between Ms Aubynn and Akua Afriyie of the NPP has been characterised by violence and chaos in seven attempts to collate the polls of the constituency.
How then did the police downplay the prospects of violence at the partial rerun, especially when there was clear disagreement about whether it should happen at all?
In any case, were the results from the other polling stations not close enough to heighten tensions?
Equally troubling were reports of widespread vote-buying, with party agents allegedly distributing cash to influence voters.
The relevant state agencies must act swiftly to investigate and prosecute every individual involved in the acts of violence and electoral malpractice.
There must be no shielding of culprits, regardless of political affiliation.
Impunity in electoral violence only emboldens perpetrators and sets a dangerous precedence for future elections.
Political parties, too, must take responsibility. Leadership on both sides of the aisle must publicly denounce the acts and cooperate fully with the law enforcement agencies to ensure accountability.
Silence in the face of such blatant wrongdoing is tantamount to complicity.
The parallels of Ablekuma North with Ayawaso West might be farfetched, but they both have the common factor of violence.
The people of Ablekuma North, and indeed, all Ghanaians deserve better.
Democracy cannot flourish where intimidation and corruption dictate outcomes.
The state must demonstrate, through decisive action, that such brazen attacks on our electoral integrity will not be tolerated.
The country’s democracy is only as strong as the institutions and citizens who defend it.
The Ablekuma North violence is a stain on our collective conscience, but it is not too late to restore order, demand accountability and reaffirm our commitment to free and fair elections.
The time to act is now.
The Daily Graphic stands firmly against electoral violence, and as such calls on all stakeholders to uphold the sanctity of our democracy.
