The process of compiling the results of the parliamentary election in the Greater Accra Region's Ablekuma North Constituency has been momentarily halted by the Electoral Commission (EC). The purpose of the suspension is to give the EC time to confirm 21 of the 62 polling station results that are still pending before declaring a winner. The EC claims that following a careful examination of the contested pink papers, the procedure will restart in a day. The decision to halt the collation process comes after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) submitted soft copies and scanned copies of pink sheets, causing interruptions. The EC approved 41 of the 62 pink sheets that were presented, rejecting 21 because of concerns about their veracity.
Strong opposition was voiced by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which claimed that neither the party nor the EC had full records of the pink sheets. They argued that it was unprecedented and improper to employ scanned papers in the collation process. The EC was forced to halt the collation after the NDC declared its intention to withdraw from the process in reaction to the alleged irregularities.
Verifying the pink sheets is essential to preserving the process's integrity, according to Vincent Obeng, the Returning Officer for the Ablekuma North Constituency. Stakeholders have received assurances from the EC that the collation process will quickly resume and that a winner would be announced within the time frame set by the court. A High Court decision on January 4, 2025, which mandated that the EC finish collating results in four constituencies—Tema Central, Ablekuma North, Okaikwei Central, and Techiman South—by January 6, 2025, was the backdrop for the suspension.
Following mandamus applications submitted by NPP candidates, who contended that the EC had not fulfilled its statutory duties, this instruction was issued. The case was presided over by Justice Forson Agyapong, who emphasized the legal requirements for approving such applications. Three of the four constituencies—Techiman South, Okaikwei Central, and Tema Central—have already been voted in favor of the NPP, leaving Ablekuma North as the only one whose results are still pending.
The circumstance emphasizes the need for openness and equity in electoral processes and highlights the ongoing conflicts between the NPP and NDC over the collation process. Credibility in the final result for Ablekuma North will depend on how the EC resolves the pink sheet dispute.