The Minority in Parliament has threatened to withdraw its cooperation in parliamentary proceedings if President John Dramani Mahama fails to intervene and ensure security for the completion of collation in the disputed Ablekuma North parliamentary elections.
Addressing a press conference, Deputy Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Weija Gbawe, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, accused the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) of orchestrating violence to disrupt the Electoral Commission (EC) from completing its mandate in the constituency.
“The NDC is using violence to block the collation process in Ablekuma North, where everything points to a New Patriotic Party (NPP) victory. This lawlessness must not be tolerated,” Shaib stated.
According to Shaib, the NPP candidate in Ablekuma North had won by a margin of 93 votes, but violence and intimidation allegedly orchestrated by the NDC had disrupted the collation process. He accused the President of turning a blind eye to these incidents.
“We call on President Mahama to act immediately to stop his party members from interfering with the EC’s work. As Commander-in-Chief, it is his duty to protect law and order. Failing to address this issue will erode confidence in our democratic system,” Shaib warned.
The Minority also called on the Ghana Police Service, particularly the Election Security Taskforce, to rise to the occasion and ensure peace and security in the area. “The police must act decisively to maintain law and order and allow the EC to complete the collation without interference,” Shaib added.
Shaib further cautioned that if President Mahama and the security agencies fail to address the issue, the Minority would withdraw its cooperation in Parliament. “We cannot continue to work in an environment where lawlessness is tolerated. If the President does not act to protect ordinary citizens and the integrity of our elections, we will take every step necessary to defend democracy,” he said.
The Ablekuma North election is one of several constituencies where the results are highly contested. The NPP claims that it lost nearly 60 parliamentary seats by slim margins, raising tensions about the transparency and fairness of the electoral process.
The Minority’s ultimatum comes amid growing calls for electoral reforms and stricter enforcement of security protocols during elections. Neither the EC nor the NDC has officially responded to the Minority’s allegations at the time of this report.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
