Akua Owusu Afriyie, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, has declared her intention to run in the election set for Friday, July 11.
This is in spite of the NPP’s General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, ordering the party to abstain from the rerun of the elections in 19 polling places.
In an interview on Thursday, July 10, Akua Afriyie clarified that she is contesting the rerun because she feels compelled to defend the victory she feels she legitimately gained in the parliamentary elections held on December 7, 2024.
“I am running in the rerun tomorrow. My face is on the ballot paper, and we are confident of winning again,” she reiterated.
Her involvement comes after her motion for an injunction to halt the rerun was denied by the Accra High Court.
According to the court, the EC is required by the constitution to guarantee electoral representation, and it would be harmful to constituents to postpone the procedure.
The EC said in a statement on Wednesday, July 2, that the rerun would occur at the 19 impacted polling places on July 11.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the NPP have been at odds about the results of the December 2024 parliamentary elections for months.
18 of the 37 contested polling places had certified and validated results, according to the EC, but the remaining 19 did not have adequate verification; hence, the rerun was required.
The NPP has reaffirmed its intention to remain out of the process and maintains that the repeat sets a dangerous precedent notwithstanding the judicial setbacks.
Because of the unresolved disagreement, the Ablekuma North Constituency has not had a member of parliament since December 2024.
In order to guarantee a peaceful and transparent election process, the EC has guaranteed that security measures have been arranged in coordination with the Ghana Police Service.
Source: newsthemegh.com