EC suspends re-collation exercise for Dome Kwabenya, Ablekuma North Constituencies
The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced the suspension of the re-collation exercise for the Dome Kwabenya and Ablekuma North parliamentary constituencies, citing a lack of adequate pink sheets and unresolved disputes over key election documents.
Background on the Re-collation
Dome Kwabenya and Ablekuma North were among nine constituencies identified for re-collation following a High Court ruling that mandated a review of election results due to alleged irregularities.
So far, the EC has successfully declared results in seven constituencies, all in favour of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). These include:
- Ahafo Ano North
- Techiman South
- Ahafo Ano South West
- Nsawam Adoagyiri
- Obuasi East
- Okaikwei Central
- Tema Central
Challenges with Ablekuma North Re-collation
The suspension in Ablekuma North arose from the returning officer’s inability to present the full complement of the required pink sheets.
Out of the total pink sheets expected, 62 remain outstanding, making it impossible to complete the re-collation process.
Issues with Dome Kwabenya Re-collation
For Dome Kwabenya, the returning officer revealed that the pink sheets for three polling stations exist only in soft copy form.
Efforts to produce hard copies of these documents have been unsuccessful, with both the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) failing to provide the necessary records.
The NPP has attributed the absence of these pink sheets to violent disruptions during the initial collation process.
Party representatives claim that their agents were assaulted, and critical documents were snatched and destroyed during the unrest.
Security Measures and Assurance
The re-collation exercises were conducted under heavy security, with a strong presence of joint military and police personnel to ensure order and transparency.
Despite the suspension, the EC has assured stakeholders that it is committed to resolving the issues affecting the Dome Kwabenya and Ablekuma North constituencies.
Addressing the press, the Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Benjamin Bano Bio emphasized its commitment to upholding electoral integrity, noting that investigations are ongoing to address the missing documents and disputes in these constituencies.
