Tensions are running high in Abeka, a town within the Okaikwei Central Constituency in Accra, as some residents took to the streets to protest the victory of Patrick Yaw Boamah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, in the 2024 Parliamentary Election.
Protesters, seen in a video circulating on social media, expressed their dissatisfaction with the results by burning car tyres along the Abeka stretch and calling for justice for Baba Sadiq Abdulai, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate.
The demonstrators alleged that Baba Sadiq, who was initially reported as the winner, was unfairly denied victory.
The protests follow the conclusion of the collation process based on a court order, after which Patrick Boamah was declared the winner.
The court had determined that an earlier declaration announcing Baba Sadiq as the winner excluded some polling station results, making the process incomplete and irregular.
As a result, the court ordered those polling station results to be included to complete the collation process.
The collation, conducted by the Electoral Commission (EC) at its Greater Accra Regional Office under heavy police and military security, declared Patrick Yaw Boamah the winner with 21,099 votes, while his NDC opponent, Baba Sadiq, secured 19,368 votes.
The completion of the collation exercise was necessitated by a directive from the Accra High Court.
Residents have since demanded transparency in the process. Speaking to the media, some protesters alleged irregularities and accused the EC of bias.
“We believe Baba Sadiq won the election. The re-collation has robbed us of our choice. We will not rest until justice is served,” a protester stated.
Despite the demonstrations, Mr. Boamah remains the duly declared winner and is set to retain his seat in Parliament for another term.
The court process was initiated after disputes arose over results in several constituencies during the 2024 Parliamentary Election.
The Accra High Court instructed the EC to ensure transparency in the process while directing the Inspector-General of Police to maintain security at collation centres.
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