The National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) National Women’s Organiser, Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw-Kotei, has vehemently defended her party’s recent parliamentary victory in Ablekuma North, rejecting claims of electoral fraud and intimidation.
Her remarks follow charges made by certain members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that the NDC “bullied” its way into the seat, which has traditionally been seen as an NPP stronghold.
In a fiercely contested race, NDC candidate Ewurabena Aubynn won the rerun on Friday, July 11.
In an appearance on Face to Face with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV, Dr. Bisiw-Kotei dismissed the allegations as unfounded and disrespectful to the electorate.
“When they say we bullied our way, it will be like people didn’t vote, and we pushed and counted ballots that didn’t exist. I mean for you [NPP] to say that somebody bullied their way in a democratic dispensation where we all participated, then I don’t really know what they mean.
“I think that it’s also an insult to the electorate in Ablekuma. They queued, some went to work, and hurriedly came back to vote.”
She continued, “They voted on December 7, 2024, and their will didn’t reflect in whatever results were declared. There was a rerun and they spoke again, so I don’t think that is fair for anybody to say that they or we bullied our way to victory.”
Chaos characterized the rerun, including an incident at the St. Peter’s Methodist Church polling booth where anonymous males allegedly beat up police officers and attacked a number of persons, including former Fisheries Minister Mavis Hawa Koomson.
As confrontations between party supporters and unidentified attackers increased, Koomson was seen employing pepper spray in widely shared videos from the scene. After a while, things calmed down, and voting proceeded.
Ewurabena Aubynn was later proclaimed the legitimately elected Member of Parliament for Ablekuma North by the Electoral Commission.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Joseph Asare
