Ablekuma North rerun: Voting halted at Odorkor polling centre after incident involving Hawa Koomson
Voting came to a halt at the Methodist Church Odorkor 1 polling station during the ongoing parliamentary rerun in the Ablekuma North Constituency on Friday, after some party agents breached the church premises.
According to eyewitnesses, confusion erupted when the former Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Hawa Koomson, visited the polling station to observe the process.
The eyewitnesses indicated that the former lawmaker had initially visited the polling station to monitor proceedings but later returned, during which she defied police instructions to leave the centre.
They added that her refusal to exit the premises angered some party faithful who had been observing the process from outside the church, leading to an altercation.
It was also alleged that, during the confrontation, Ms Koomson sprayed pepper spray on the agitated crowd, prompting a retaliatory response that ultimately disrupted the voting process.
The former MP was rescued by security personnel stationed at the polling centre and was whisked out of the premises through an alternative exit at the back of the church.
Before the disruption occurred around 11:00 a.m., the Presiding Officer, Maame Ama Gyanfuah, reported that 126 out of 464 eligible voters had cast their ballots.
Observation
The Daily Graphic team witnessed physical altercations between some party agents at the entrance to the church premises.
However, calm returned to the centre by 11:40 a.m. after police officers on duty prevented unauthorised individuals from entering.
Several executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were seen at the polling station, including the party’s Deputy General Secretary, Mustapha Gbande; Head of Legal Affairs, Edudzi Tamakloe; and Deputy Communications Director, Malik Basintale.
The Daily Graphic team also observed NDC National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, touring several polling stations.
Other centres
The re-run of the parliamentary election in the 19 polling stations in the Ablekuma North Constituency is still underway in other centres.
Apart from the incident at Odorkor Tsunami, where a journalist with the EIB Network was allegedly assaulted by a police officer, the process has generally been smooth.
At five polling stations visited by the Daily Graphic, no incidents were recorded, with the presence of party agents and heavy security observed.
At the Church of Pentecost North Odorkor 2 polling station in Tsunami, the Presiding Officer, Abdulai Saani, said that 22 out of 67 expected voters had cast their ballots as of 9:40am.
At the Church of Pentecost North Odorkor 4, the Presiding Officer reported that 31 out of 137 eligible voters had voted by 9:45am.
At the Presby Church Odorkor 4 polling station, Presiding Officer Abdul Kadiri stated that 41 out of 112 voters had cast their ballots as of 10am.
The Presiding Officer of Living Spring Day Nursery Kwashie Bu 1 polling station, Anthony Imbeah, also reported that 180 out of 428 voters had voted as of 10:40am.
At the Lord’s Pentecostal Church Kwashie Polling Station C, Presiding Officer William Damptey indicated that 165 out of 563 voters had cast their ballots by 11:00am.
Background
The Ablekuma North parliamentary election re-run is intended to conclude the collation of the 2024 Parliamentary Election results, with 261 polling stations already collated.
Currently, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie, leads with 32,512 votes, holding a slim margin of 48 votes over the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Ewurabena Aubynn, who has garnered 32,464 votes.
The seat remains keenly contested, as 6,639 eligible voters are expected to cast their ballots in the 19 polling stations where the re-run is taking place.
