The Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed, has affirmed that the party officially did not participate in the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun held on Friday, July 11, 2025. This clarification was made to distance the NPP from the results of the rerun, which saw Ewurabena Aubynn of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) declared the winner in a constituency traditionally dominated by the NPP.
In an interview on Channel One TV’s program The Big Issue on Saturday, July 12, Haruna Mohammed explained that the decision to boycott the rerun was grounded in principle. The NPP expressed concerns regarding the handling of the rerun by the Electoral Commission (EC), particularly in relation to the circumstances that necessitated the rerun. The fresh polls were ordered by a High Court decision affecting 19 polling stations after irregularities were identified, including missing endorsements on pink sheets from the December 2024 general election.
Despite the party’s official boycott, the 2024 NPP parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie, defied the party’s directive and entered the race independently. Reports indicate she was supported by certain grassroots members and local party figures. The rerun was closely contested, with Ewurabena Aubynn receiving 34,090 votes compared to Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie’s 33,881 votes.
The election process was overshadowed by violent incidents, which included an attack on Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie and former Fisheries Minister Hawa Koomson. Additionally, a police officer was subsequently interdicted for assaulting a journalist who was reporting on the unrest during the rerun.
These developments have sparked widespread debate within the political landscape, with some attributing Afriyie’s defeat to internal party issues rather than the conduct of the Electoral Commission. For more detailed coverage, please visit CitiNewsroom.
