Mike Oquaye Jnr
The Electoral Commission (EC) has suspended the declaration of the parliamentary election results in Dome-Kwabenya, following allegations of violence and irregularities perpetrated by supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The suspension comes after a chaotic collation process, marred by attacks on EC officials, police, and New Patriotic Party (NPP) agents.
According to a press statement by Mike Oquaye Jnr, the NPP parliamentary candidate for Dome-Kwabenya, the actual voting process throughout the constituency was peaceful, with counting at the end of voting being incident-free.
However, the situation took a turn for the worse when NPP agents arrived at the collation centre at around midnight on December 8, 2024.
Upon arrival, the agents decided to take a second batch of pink sheets straight to the collation centre to prevent further delays.
However, before they could begin scanning the sheets, an NDC mob gathered outside the centre, stormed in, snatched the pink sheets, and bolted.
The police intervened, retrieving some of the pink sheets after about an hour.
Despite the chaos, the EC District Director proceeded to collate the presidential results in conjunction with party agents from the NPP and NDC.
However, at around 9:00 am on December 8, 2024, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP flagbearer, conceded defeat in the presidential election, and the EC agreed to move on to collate the parliamentary results.
The situation took another turn for the worse when an NDC mob started chanting that John Mahama had won the presidential election, claiming that the parliamentary results were unnecessary.
The EC, however, proceeded with the collation.
At around noon on December 8, 2024, some of the EC’s pink sheets and materials needed for verification of results were in sealed ballot boxes at the EC’s District Office. All agents agreed that the EC, with representatives from the NPP and NDC, escorted by the police, should retrieve the materials.
However, upon the arrival of the branded EC vehicle, the NDC mob set upon it, breaking the car’s glass, vandalising the vehicle, pepper-spraying agents, beating the driver, and seizing and burning EC materials.
After the police restored calm, the EC Director led the continuation of the collation, with the agreement that missing materials would be dealt with later.
However, at around 2:30 pm, the first wave of the NDC mob entered the collation centre, stopping the process.
The police intervened, but the NDC parliamentary candidate, Faustina Elikplim Akurugu, addressed the mob from the sunroof of her husband’s car, claiming she had won the election and that the EC had refused to declare her the winner.
The mob, numbering over 1,000, attacked the police, EC officials, and party agents, vandalising the collation centre and breaking materials, infrastructure, tables, chairs, machines, and verification machines.
The EC officials, sensing danger, hid all documents, and the police, the EC District Director and his staff fled the centre.
The EC District Director later informed the NPP Constituency Chairman, Robert Osei Bonsu, that he feared for his life and would continue the process at the regional office due to safety concerns.
However, at around 9:00 pm, the NPP discovered that the presiding officer had restarted the collation without informing the EC Director, NPP agents, or the constituency chairman.
The NPP has disputed the results, citing widespread irregularities and intimidation.
The party has vowed to pursue the matter in the High Court, seeking justice and a reversal of the results.
The suspension of the declaration of results in Dome-Kwabenya has significant implications for the overall outcome of the parliamentary elections.
BY Daniel Bampoe