On Friday, the Commission revealed incidents of violence at nine counting centers during the general elections held on December 7, which resulted in opposition leader John Dramani Mahama defeating ruling candidate Mahamudu Bawumia.
In a detailed statement, the electoral body described coordinated assaults on its officials and facilities. Supporters of various political factions stormed multiple counting centers, including incidents in Nsawam/Adoagyiri in the Eastern Region, where two ballot boxes were destroyed, and in the Ashanti Region, where the Commission’s local office was set ablaze.
One of the most severe incidents occurred in Techiman South, where an electoral official was coerced at gunpoint into declaring partial results from only 135 out of the constituency’s 282 polling stations.
In Greater Accra, polling agents in Dome Kwabenya faced attacks, and voting materials were set on fire. In Ablekuman North, security forces were unable to prevent the destruction of electoral materials. The Electoral Commission announced that the recount process in these impacted areas is temporarily halted pending assurances of “adequate security conditions” from the Ghanaian police. Nevertheless, these violent incidents have not undermined the legitimacy of John Dramani Mahama’s victory, as he prepares to succeed Nana Akufo-Addo as President of Ghana.
AC/Sf/fss/abj/APA