The collation of parliamentary election results for the Ablekuma North Constituency will resume today, January 17th, at 8 am at the Electoral Commission's (EC) old head office in Ridge, Accra. The process, plagued by delays and disputes, has been suspended multiple times, most recently due to the resignation of the Returning Officer, Vincent Obeng.
Mr. Obeng's resignation, announced on January 8th, followed disagreements over the authentication of pink sheets from three polling stations. While he had previously stated that the collation was nearly complete, with results from four out of seven remaining stations finalized, the unresolved discrepancies forced another suspension—the sixth since the process began. This leaves only three out of 281 polling stations with unverified results.
The controversy centers around the authentication of results from these three remaining polling stations. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are locked in a dispute, with the NDC's Ablekuma North Constituency Organiser, Musah Kalamu, demanding a rerun in 62 polling stations due to alleged discrepancies. Fifty-nine of these have been verified, leaving the three in question. The NPP, represented by its Director of Research and Elections, Evans Nimako, and parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Owusu Afriye, maintains confidence in the process.
The EC, represented by Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, Director of Training, acknowledged the unfortunate resignation of Mr. Obeng and stated that they will attempt to persuade him to reconsider. The EC aims to ensure a transparent and conclusive process today, with representatives from both the NDC and NPP present at the collation center.
The parliamentary seat is contested between Nana Akua Owusu Afriye (NPP) and Ewurabena Aubynn (NDC), and the constituency awaits the final outcome with bated breath. Today's resumption of the collation process is crucial in resolving the remaining disputes and determining the winner.
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