GhanaWeb feature by Mandy Agyemang
It has been approximately 96 days since the 2024 general elections, in which Ghanaian voters cast their ballots to determine the nation’s leadership for the next four years.
President John Dramani Mahama was elected, signaling a change in government and the election of new parliamentary representatives.
Many constituencies knew their results by the close of polls on December 7, 2024, sparking celebrations or disappointments for either incumbent or newly-elected lawmakers who were confirmed to represent the interests of constituents in Parliament, or those who lost out.
However, this was not the case for some constituencies, where the parliamentary results were contested due to reported discrepancies and procedural issues.
The results of twelve parliamentary seats in twelve constituencies were disputed, including the Ablekuma North seat.
While the remaining 11 constituencies have since had their winners declared, following a court order for the Electoral Commission to re-collate their results, Ablekuma North remains a lone constituency with unresolved collation.
Setback
The re-collation process for Ablekuma North encountered another setback after six attempts, resulting in chaos during the seventh attempt.
A group of men, allegedly affiliated with both the NDC and NPP, stormed the Electoral Commission’s office in January 2025, causing significant damages to properties, including louvre blades, which eventually led to the halting of the process.
This disruption led to the suspension of the exercise once again, leaving the results and declaration since then in limbo.
‘Thank You’ Billboards
Both parliamentary candidates: Ewurabena Aubynn of the NDC and Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie of the NPP, have declared victory for themselves.
Notably, the EC declared victory for the NDC, only to later reverse the decision and declare the NPP as the winner.
Despite the lack of an official declaration by the EC, both candidates have since erected “Thank You” billboards across the constituency to express their gratitude to constituents.
Ewurabena Aubynn’s Statement
Unperturbed by the holdup and setback, Ewurabena Aubynn, the NDC’s 2024 parliamentary candidate, has expressed her confidence that she will ultimately be declared the winner once the process is concluded.
“I have no doubt that eventually, things will fall into place. I’ve been declared, and it has been back and forth, but I am confident the right thing will be done by the EC. Sadly, it’s taken longer than expected,” she told GhanaWeb.
Electoral Commission
The Electoral Commission maintains that it remains committed to ensuring a free and fair election and has indicated plans to engage with both political parties involved to discuss the next steps for resolving the Ablekuma North dispute.
During an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held on February 26, 2025, at the EC’s corporate office in Accra, the EC Chairperson emphasised that the meeting would involve detailed discussions on the matter.
“We will have an in-depth meeting to discuss it,” the EC Chairperson was quoted as saying by JoyNews.
Another SALL case in the making?
The current Ablekuma North issue has raised concerns, as it seems to be evolving into another case of a constituency lacking representation in Parliament.
The last time such an incident occurred was during the 2020 Election when the people of Santrofi, Akpafu, Likpe, and Lolobi (SALL) were disenfranchised for the entirety of the 8th Parliament.
For four years, they had no representation in Parliament. Approximately 17,000 voters from the SALL enclave, which includes 13 communities, were unable to participate in the 2020 parliamentary elections.
However, the EC maintained they did no wrong and did not disenfranchise the people of SALL.
In a release dated May 15, 2024, the EC clarified the following:
1. The Legislative Instrument (L. I. 2416) which created the Guan District (SALL) was laid in Parliament on the 6th of October, 2020 by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD). It matured on the 9th of November, 2020, roughly a month to the 2020 General Elections.
2. Parliament went on recess on the 9th of November, 2020, the same day the L.I. creating the Guan District matured and returned on the 14th of December, 2020, one week after the 2020 General Elections.
3. On the 10th of November 2020, the Electoral Commission received a letter from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development informing it of the creation of the Guan District (SALL). The letter requested the Commission to take steps to create a new Constituency.
4. The Commission drafted a new Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) to bring into force the Guan Constituency and forwarded the draft C.I. to the Attorney General’s Department for its review on the 13th of November, 2020 as required by law.
5. It is important to state that for a C.I. to mature and come into force, the law requires the Electoral Commission to lay the C.I. in Parliament for twenty-one (21) sitting days. This means that Parliament should be in session during the twenty-one (21) day period when the C.I. is laid.
6. With Parliament on recess, the Commission could not lay the C.I. to bring the Guan Constituency into effect as required by law.
7. The question is, how could the Commission proceed to create a new Constituency when Parliament was on recess and when the law required the Commission to lay the C.I. before Parliament for twenty-one (21) sitting days?
Legal Battle
Meanwhile, the court has granted substituted service, allowing a bailiff to serve NPP’s Nana Akua Afriyie with documents related to the case.
Her failure to respond could impact the declaration of the results of the seat and may result in the court proceeding with the case in her absence.
As time passes, the situation in Ablekuma North appears to be gradually fading from the public’s attention, with every passing day, making the resolution of the dispute seem more distant and the hope of the constituents dwindling.
MAG/AE
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