Attack on offices: EC seeks arrest, prosecution of perpetrators

The Electoral Commission (EC) has called on the Ghana Police Service to arrest and prosecute party supporters who vandalized property at the EC’s Greater Accra Regional Office. The incident occurred on Friday morning, disrupting the re-collation exercise for the Ablekuma-North Constituency.
The EC also appealed to the government to provide maximum security for its staff and facilities to ensure the safe completion of the collation process.

Attack on state property
In a statement signed by Mr. Samuel Tettey, Deputy EC Chair in charge of Operations, the Commission revealed that party supporters stormed its corporate office, issuing threats and causing staff to flee for their safety.
The vandals damaged several items, including louvre blades and furniture, during the attack.
The EC stated it has video evidence capturing the incident and promised to cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies in their investigation.
“We call on the Police to swiftly bring the perpetrators to book by identifying, arresting, and prosecuting them. Video footage is available showing the faces of the perpetrators of these heinous acts,” the statement emphasized.

Re-collation exercise halted
The planned continuation of the re-collation exercise for the Ablekuma-North Constituency, scheduled for 8:00 am on Friday, was called off after the attack.

The EC explained that the exercise aimed to validate results from three polling stations that were outstanding from the last re-collation attempt on January 8, 2025.
Despite requesting adequate security for the task, the Police advised against proceeding based on intelligence reports, leaving the exercise in limbo.

Longstanding dispute in Ablekuma-North
The Ablekuma-North Constituency remains without representation in the 9th Parliament due to unresolved election results.
The EC has made five attempts to re-collate the results for 62 polling stations, but the process has remained inconclusive, partly due to the absence of original results sheets.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called for a re-run of the election in the affected polling stations, a proposal the EC has declined.
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) claims its candidate won the seat by over 300 votes based on their independent collation.
The last re-collation attempt ended abruptly when Mr. Vincent Obeng, the Returning Officer for Ablekuma-North, abandoned the process citing “frustration.”

EC’s stand on security and order
The EC condemned the attacks, describing them as unacceptable and a threat to democracy.
It criticized the lack of adequate security at its premises during such a critical period.
The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring transparency and accuracy in the election results, while urging the Police and other stakeholders to ensure the safety of its staff and facilities.
The situation in Ablekuma-North remains tense, with both parties standing firm in their positions.
The EC’s demand for swift action against the perpetrators underscores the need to maintain law and order to safeguard Ghana’s democratic processes.