Bawumia Urges NPP to End the Blame Game

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected the results of the parliamentary election for the Tema Central Constituency, as announced by the Electoral Commission (EC), following a series of disputes and incidents of unrest. The controversy surrounding the results has sparked significant political tension and accusations of misconduct, leading to a chaotic scene at the collation center.

The process of tabulating the votes for the Tema Central constituency began on the evening of Saturday, December 7, 2024, at the Chemu Senior High Technical School. However, the collation process was interrupted by disagreements between NPP and NDC officials over the validity of some of the pink sheets used to record the votes. The dispute escalated, and by early Sunday, the situation had turned volatile, prompting the police to intervene by using teargas. This resulted in the collapse of an EC official, leading to the temporary suspension of the process.

To ensure the continuation of the vote tabulation, the collation process was moved to the Tema Regional Police Command on Monday, December 9, where it was supervised by the Tema Metro Electoral Officer, Manasseh Ofosuhene Asante. The NPP and NDC officials remained at odds over the inclusion of three contested pink sheets out of the 148 used to tally the votes. The NDC, represented by Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, the Member of Parliament for South Dayi, argued that the three pink sheets should be excluded due to discrepancies, specifically the failure of Presiding Officers to properly endorse them. Meanwhile, the NPP, led by the constituency chairman Charles Boateng, insisted that these pink sheets be included in the final count to ensure the integrity of the results.

After several hours of intense back-and-forth, the Electoral Commission’s Director for Tema decided to refrain from declaring the results immediately. Instead, the matter was referred to the EC headquarters in Accra for further deliberation and resolution. This decision triggered frustration among NDC supporters, who had gathered at the collation center. Malik Basintale, the Deputy National Communications Officer for the NDC, led a group of party members to storm the center, where they wreaked havoc.

The mob of NDC supporters destroyed canopies, overturned chairs, and damaged police barricades, demanding that the results be declared in favor of the NDC candidate, Ebi Bright. In the midst of this chaos, the EC officials sought safety inside the police offices at the Regional Police Headquarters, and journalists and other stakeholders were forced to leave the area.

Approximately one hour later, the Tema West Municipal Election Officer, John Nunoo, emerged from the police offices, accompanied by some of the protesting leaders. Nunoo proceeded to announce that Ebi Bright had won the parliamentary election for Tema Central, with 18,539 votes, narrowly defeating NPP’s Charles Forson, who received 18,421 votes. Independent candidate Fredrick Aniagyei secured 207 votes. The total number of valid votes cast was 37,308, with 141 ballots rejected.

This announcement was immediately met with resistance from the NPP, with Forson denouncing it as an unlawful declaration. Forson emphasized that the person making the declaration, the Tema West Municipal Election Officer, had no jurisdiction over the Tema Central election and therefore, the results should not be considered valid. He claimed that the NDC had orchestrated the disturbance to pressure the EC into declaring results that favored their candidate. Forson also insisted that, according to the NPP’s internal analysis of the pink sheets from all 148 polling stations in the constituency, he had won the election.

Forson vowed to challenge the results in court if the issue was not addressed satisfactorily in a meeting scheduled with the EC in Accra on December 10, 2024. He argued that the results declared by the EC official were flawed and needed to be corrected.

The escalating tension in Tema Central has drawn attention to the broader political conflicts that are unfolding in the wake of the 2024 elections. The NPP’s rejection of the results and the NDC’s actions in forcing a declaration have further deepened the divide. Political analysts and the public will be watching closely as the matter moves to the EC headquarters for resolution, and as the NPP prepares to pursue legal action to challenge the declared results. The political future of Tema Central now hinges on the EC’s final decision and the outcome of potential legal proceedings.