Former Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Acheampong, has launched a scathing critique of the Electoral Commission (EC), accusing it of reinforcing public doubt in its credibility by failing to act on electoral crimes and inconsistencies surrounding the Ablekuma North parliamentary election.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, July 10, he questioned the EC’s integrity and suggested that the Commission is playing into claims made by political actors who have labelled it “unfit for purpose.”
“Events leading to the disruption are all criminal. Nothing has happened to that. You haven’t pursued it, and you expect me to believe what you want to do? Take the necessary steps to assure me that you mean well,” he stated, referencing the burning of the EC’s collation centre and other unresolved incidents during the December 7, 2024, elections.
The EC has announced a rerun of parliamentary elections in 19 polling stations within the Ablekuma North Constituency, citing the use of unauthenticated pink sheets that lacked the required endorsements from presiding officers. However, Seth Acheampong believes the Commission has undermined its authority.
You came to Parliament to say what you wanted to say, and now you’re going back on your word. I think maybe they lost their spine when Mr. Asiedu Nketia made his commentary elsewhere, saying the EC is not fit for purpose. Sadly, the EC is now fueling that narrative,” he asserted.
Despite the Electoral Commission’s constitutional mandate, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has vowed not to take part in the July 11 rerun. Mr. Acheampong reiterated this stance, emphasising that the party remains firm in its decision.
“We will not go back on our words. We just have to stay where we are. We are not going to run the election; we won’t run the election,” he declared.
The High Court in Accra presided by Justice Ali Baba Abature on July 9, dismissed the NPP’s application for an interim injunction against the rerun. The court maintained that halting the election would hinder the EC’s constitutional responsibility and deprive constituents of parliamentary representation.
The NPP insists the EC’s decision contradicts a January 4, 2025, High Court order directing the collation and declaration of results from 62 outstanding polling stations.
According to the party’s legal team, only three polling stations were left uncollated as of January 27, based on the EC’s communications.
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