The results of the Ablekuma North Constituency’s parliamentary election will be compiled at the Electoral Commission’s (EC) former headquarters in Ridge, Greater Accra, starting at 8 a.m. today.
After many delays and arguments, the process suffered a significant setback on January 8th when Vincent Obeng, the Returning Officer, resigned due to concerns regarding pink sheet authenticity.
Earlier, Mr. Obeng informed reporters that the results from four of the seven voting places that were still open had been finalized, making the collation almost finished.
However, the procedure was halted for the sixth time due to disputes about confirming the results from three voting places.
Results from 278 of the 281 polling places in the Ablekuma North Constituency have been confirmed.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are at odds over the remaining three.
“It’s so unfortunate for me to make this statement that I’m done with Ablekuma North,” Mr. Obeng said in his resignation announcement, expressing frustration with the drawn-out process. His choice has made an already stressful situation much more problematic.
The EC’s Director of Training, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, called Mr. Obeng’s departure “unfortunate” and affirmed that the collation would be suspended.
According to him, the EC would speak with the Returning Officer to see if he would change his mind.
Musah Kalamu, the NDC’s Ablekuma North Constituency Organiser, demanded a rerun of the results in 62 polling places where inconsistencies had been noted and objected to the use of scanned pink sheets for verification. Three of these remain undecided, while the remaining 59 have been confirmed.
The NPP is still certain that the truth will come to light, as evidenced by its Director of Research and Elections, Evans Nimako, and parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Owusu Afriye.
The only constituency still embroiled in controversy over the outcome of the 2024 parliamentary election is Ablekuma North.
It is anticipated that the resumption of the collation process today will clarify the disputed results. The EC will try to guarantee openness and a definitive resolution while both parties are present at the collation center.
Tensions are high as the constituency awaits the final decision in the race for the parliamentary seat, which is still between Nana Akua Owusu Afriye of the NPP and Ewurabena Aubynn of the NDC.
Source: newsthemegh.com