Minority Caucus Petitions Police over Prolonged Delay in Declaring Ablekuma North Parliamentary Results

Members of the Minority Caucus in Parliament on Wednesday staged a protest march to the Ghana Police Service Headquarters, demanding immediate action to resolve the six-month-long impasse surrounding the Ablekuma North parliamentary election results.

Despite full voter participation in the December 7, 2024, general elections, the Electoral Commission (EC) has yet to declare an official winner for the hotly contested constituency in the Greater Accra Region.

The delay has left constituents without representation in Parliament since January 7, 2025—an unprecedented situation in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Ewurabena Aubynn, and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) incumbent, Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie, have both claimed victory.

However, the collation process has been plagued by violence, missing pink sheets, legal battles, and the destruction of electoral materials in a fire at the Kwashieman Cluster of Schools.

The EC suspended the collation in January 2025 following widespread discrepancies at over 20 polling stations.

A High Court ruling on January 4 directed the EC to resume the process and instructed the Ghana Police Service to provide the necessary security—a directive that has yet to be fulfilled.

In their petition, presented by Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Caucus accused the Ghana Police Service of failing in its constitutional duty to support the EC in completing the collation.

They cited multiple instances where requests for police protection were ignored, most notably on January 17, when police declined to deploy officers despite formal communication from the EC.

“The continued failure to provide adequate security has allowed chaos and intimidation to undermine a vital democratic process,” the petition stated.

It also alleged that unidentified individuals in military attire—alongside political operatives—had repeatedly disrupted the collation, forcing EC officials to abandon their duties.

The Minority described the impasse as a “constitutional crisis” and a “serious blot” on Ghana’s democratic record.

They warned that the disenfranchisement of Ablekuma North’s electorate erodes public trust in state institutions and undermines the legitimacy of Parliament itself.

They are demanding that the Ghana Police Service:

Deploy sufficient security personnel to enable the EC to resume and conclude the collation process;

Ensure a safe and lawful environment for the declaration of results;

Comply with the High Court’s directive and cooperate fully with the EC.

Civil society organizations including the Ghana Bar Association and the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) have also urged swift action, with CODEO recommending a possible rerun if the stalemate continues.

“The Ghana Police Service must not be seen as an obstacle to democracy,” the petition concluded. “Democracy delayed is democracy denied.”

As the standoff drags on, the people of Ablekuma North continue to be denied their constitutional right to representation—raising urgent questions about electoral accountability and institutional responsibility in Ghana’s democratic process.

the Petition to the Inspector General of Police was received by a senior police officer, Commissioner of Police (COP) Daniel Afriyie.