EC declares NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn as Ablekuma North MP-Elect

Ewurabena Aubynn, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate, has been declared the winner of the Ablekuma North constituency seat by the Electoral Commission (EC).

The announcement was made by the Returning Officer at the Greater Accra Regional Collation Centre on Tuesday evening, bringing an end to a tense and chaotic period during the collation process. The announcement followed days of standoffs between NDC supporters and security forces outside the EC premises.

Despite the declaration, there has been dissatisfaction from Aubynn’s rivals. Nana Akua Owusu Afriyieh, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, has alleged that the EC official was coerced into making the announcement under pressure from NDC supporters. According to the NPP, their own results show a victory for Afriyieh, not Aubynn.

“We do not accept the declaration. The EC official was under duress, threatened with death, and forced to make the statement,” Afriyieh told the media.

Tensions escalate during collation process

Earlier in the evening, the EC resumed the collation of results for Ablekuma North at the Greater Accra Regional Collation Centre after a temporary suspension. The decision followed heightened tension outside the centre, where NDC supporters accused the EC of attempting to manipulate the election outcome.

Inside the collation centre, a standoff broke out between NDC and NPP representatives, with both sides accusing each other of undermining the election process. The collation had been suspended twice prior to this, once on Monday and again later, after results from 219 out of 281 polling stations had been collated.

On Monday, the EC had paused the collation of results for several unresolved parliamentary disputes across the country. In response to the growing unrest, NDC’s former Deputy General Secretary, Peter Otokunor, revealed that the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, intervened and instructed the resumption of the collation process.

However, the process did not immediately resume without further complications, as confusion among party officials led to heated exchanges and even the breaking of louver blades. Both the Ablekuma North Returning Officer and the NPP candidate were not present following the reversal of the earlier suspension.

Meanwhile, outside the collation centre, a large crowd of NDC supporters gathered, demanding the immediate announcement of the final results. To maintain order, military personnel were deployed alongside the police to prevent any further disruptions.