NPP MPs Protest @ Police Headquarters … Demand Security For EC To Declare Ablekuma North Parliamentary Results

The Minority Caucus has charged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohunu, to uphold the High Court’s directive and cooperate fully with the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana by swiftly deploying adequate security personnel to its designated collation center for the collation and declaration of the 2024 Ablekuma North Parliamentary Election.

This, they noted, would ensure an enabling environment for the peaceful and lawful conclusion of the electoral process, as the people have long been denied their constitutional rights to representation in the legislature.

“The continued disenfranchisement of the people of Ablekuma North represents not only a denial of their constitutional rights to representation, but also an affront to the democratic principles enshrined in the 1992 Constitution,” the group contended.

“This crisis erodes public trust in the integrity and independence of state institutions, particularly the Ghana Police Service.”

The Minority Caucus, which is the parliamentary wing of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), made this observation in a petition that was presented to the IGP in Accra on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.

The petition was submitted after a peaceful march from the precincts of Parliament through the Gamel Abdul Nasser Avenue to the National Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service. The exercise temporarily caused vehicular traffic disruptions.

During the march, the NPP MPs sang patriotic songs before reading out the content of the petition and subsequently presenting it to DCOP Appiah Afriyie, who received it on behalf of the IGP.

The group was joined by the NPP parliamentary candidate for the Ablekuma North constituency and a former deputy Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Nana Akua Afriyie.

The Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, who read out and presented the petition, emphasised that “the Ghana Police Service must not be perceived as the institution standing in the way of democracy,” underscoring that “democracy delayed is democracy denied.”

He added, “We urge your leadership to act with urgency and in good faith to restore the people’s confidence in Ghana’s democratic process.”

He was accompanied by the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, 2nd Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Asiamah, Deputy Whip, Alhaji Habib Iddrisu, 2nd Deputy Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib and other MPs.

Nearly six months after the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, the Electoral Commission of Ghana has yet to declare the official parliamentary results for the Ablekuma North constituency.

Results from about seven polling stations remain unaccounted for. The Electoral Commission initially attempted to conduct the collation process, but was obstructed due to reported threats and acts of intimidation at the collation center by unidentified individuals in military attire, leading to the suspension of the exercise.

The exercise was later carried out, but the outcome was declared unlawful, prompting an Accra High Court to order the election management body, in a ruling dated January 4, 2025, to complete the collation process. The court further directed the Ghana Police Service to provide necessary security to facilitate the exercise.

On January 17, 2025 the EC scheduled the continuation of the collation process and formally requested for police protection.

However, their request was not honoured due to cited intelligence concerns, leading the EC to suspend the exercise again.

The absence of security led to the invasion of the collation centre by party supporters, including unidentified men in military uniforms, forcing EC officials to abandon the process.

The EC has since expressed its readiness to proceed with the exercise, but continues to face a lack of cooperation from the Ghana Police Service, as confirmed in official communications.

A subsequent high-level meeting involving the IGP, the Electoral Commission and the Election Security Task Force reaffirmed the importance of concluding the collation. Yet, no action has been taken to date.

To the Minority Caucus, the conduct of the Ghana Police Service amounts not merely to administrative failure, but also, constitutes a constitutional crisis and a grave affront to democratic governance.

“Under Ghana’s electoral framework, the Election Security Task Force (ESTF), chaired by the IGP, is responsible for security during the entire electoral process, including the collation of results,” the Minority Chief Whip noted.

“Yet, in this instance, the Task Force abdicated its duty at a critical moment, leaving the EC without protection and allowing the disruption of a fundamental democratic exercise.

“I trust that with our petition, your office will act swiftly and decisively to safeguard the public interest and uphold the rule of law.”

By Stephen Odoi-Larbi

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