Some residents of Abeka protest Patrick Boamah's victory in Okaikwei Central Parliamentary election

Tensions are running high in Abeka, a town within the Okaikwei Central Constituency in Accra, as some residents took to the streets to protest the victory of Patrick Yaw Boamah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, in the 2024 Parliamentary Election.  

The protesters seen in a video on social media expressing their dissatisfaction with the results, burned car tyres along the Abeka stretch and called for justice for Baba Sadiq Abdulai, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate.

The demonstrators alleged that Baba Sadiq, who was initially reported as the winner, was unfairly denied victory.  

The protests follow the conclusion of the collation process based on a court order, after which Patrick Boamah was declared winner.

The court had heard that an earlier purported declaration which announced Baba Sadiq as the winner excluded some polling station results, which made the process incomplete and irregular.

The court agreed and ordered that those polling station wills should be added to complete the process.

The exercise, conducted by the Electoral Commission (EC) at its Greater Accra Regional Office under heavy police and military security, declared Patrick Yaw Boamah the winner with 21,099 votes. His NDC opponent, Baba Sadiq, secured 19,368 votes.  

The completion of the collation exercise was necessitated by a directive from the Accra High Court.

Residents demand transparency  

Speaking to the media, some protesters alleged irregularities in the process and accused the EC of bias. "We believe Baba Sadiq won the election. The re-collation has robbed us of our choice. We will not rest until justice is served," a protester stated.  

Despite the demonstrations, Mr. Boamah remains the duly declared winner and is set to retain his seat in Parliament for another term.  

The court process was initiated after disputes arose over results in several constituencies during the 2024 Parliamentary Election.

The Accra High Court instructed the EC to ensure transparency in the process while directing the Inspector-General of Police to maintain security at collation centres.