Nana Akua Afriyie and Ewurabena Aubynn
The Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) in charge of Corporate Affairs, Dr. Bossman Asare, has disclosed that the Ghana Police Service and the National Election Security Task Force have referred the unresolved collation of parliamentary election results for the Ablekuma North Constituency to the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice for legal advice.
Answering questions in Parliament yesterday, Dr. Asare detailed the extensive efforts the EC has made to conclude the collation process since the December 7, 2024 elections.
According to him, the EC remains committed to ensuring that the people of Ablekuma North have a duly elected representative in Parliament.
He noted that the Accra High Court on January 4, 2025, ordered the EC to complete the collation of results in four constituencies such as Tema Central, Ablekuma North, Okaikwei Central, and Techiman South.
He said while the collation for the other three constituencies has been concluded, the process in Ablekuma North remains incomplete.
He indicated that the EC’s records indicate that collation efforts steadily progressed, with polling station results from both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) added at various stages.
However, challenges arose regarding the authentication of some of the submitted pink sheets, particularly those presented in scanned copies, the EC chief said.
Despite these issues, Dr. Asare emphasised that the collation process had been transparent, with agents of both the NDC and the NPP present throughout, as well as media coverage to ensure public accountability.
“The parties agreed to the use of scanned pink sheets when both admitted they no longer had the carbon copies. This was done with full participation of their agents,” he stressed.
He pointed out that the Commission made several formal requests to the Ghana Police Service and the National Election Security Task Force for security to complete the collation.
However, he said the police, citing security concerns and later a pending Supreme Court case, consistently advised against proceeding.
Dr. Bossman stated that on May 15, 2025, the EC wrote to the police to clarify that no legal injunction prevented the continuation of the collation.
According to him, nevertheless, the police responded that the matter had been referred to the Attorney General’s office and that they would await legal advice before providing the necessary security.
Since then, the EC has followed up but has yet to receive a definitive response from the Attorney General, he added.
Meanwhile, he said engagements with the NDC and NPP have continued, with the two parties holding divergent positions on the way forward, intimating that one party supports completing the collation, while the other proposes a re-run in the 37 polling stations that remain in dispute.
Dr. Asare appealed to Parliament to support the Commission in securing the cooperation of the Ghana Police Service to provide protection for the collation to be finalised.
“Our objective remains clear – to ensure that the people of Ablekuma North are rightfully represented in Parliament,” he stressed.
The EC maintained that the process had been open, fair, and backed by verifiable media coverage throughout its critical stages.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House