The New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, Akua Owusu Afriyie, has announced she will participate in the election scheduled for Friday, July 11.
This is despite a directive from the General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Frimpong Kodua, for the party to boycott the re-run of the polls in 19 polling stations.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday, July 10, Akua Afriyie explained that her decision to contest the rerun is based on the need to defend the victory she believes was rightfully earned during the December 7, 2024, parliamentary elections.
“I am running in the re-run tomorrow. My face is on the ballot paper, and we are confident of winning again,” she declared.
Her participation follows the dismissal of an injunction application she filed at the High Court in Accra, which sought to stop the rerun.
The court ruled that the EC has a constitutional duty to ensure electoral representation, and delaying the process would be detrimental to constituents.
The EC, in a statement dated Wednesday, July 2, announced that the rerun would take place on July 11 in the 19 affected polling stations.
This follows months of contention between the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the outcome of the December 2024 parliamentary elections.
The EC maintains that while 18 of the 37 disputed polling stations had verified and certified results, the remaining 19 lacked proper verification, necessitating the rerun.
Despite the legal setbacks, the NPP insists the rerun sets a dangerous precedent and has reiterated its decision to stay out of the process.
The Ablekuma North Constituency has remained without a Member of Parliament since December 2024 due to the unresolved dispute.
The EC has assured that security arrangements have been made in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service to ensure a peaceful and transparent electoral process.