Editor of the Newscenta newspaper, Elvis Darko, has taken a strong swipe at the Electoral Commission (EC) over its decision to conduct a parliamentary rerun in 19 polling stations in the Ablekuma North Constituency, describing the Commission’s handling of the situation as inconsistent and unacceptable.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, July 3, he questioned the EC’s credibility, citing what he sees as a major shift from an earlier position communicated to Parliament.
According to him, the EC had previously indicated that only three polling station results were outstanding, making the new directive to rerun elections in 19 polling stations deeply troubling.
“These are the reasons people have issues with the Electoral Commission. Be straightforward and do your work. You are not under the control of any political party; you only collaborate with them.
“Two weeks ago, the EC told Parliament that only three stations were left. Now they say 19 polling stations will be rerun. And you expect people not to accuse you of scheming with one party? It’s unacceptable. What they’ve done justifies why people attack their credibility,” he said.
He added that the EC’s failure to maintain a consistent and transparent approach undermines public trust and fuels suspicions of political bias. He openly declared his support for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in opposing what he termed a “so-called rerun.”
The backlash follows a July 2 press release issued by the Electoral Commission and signed by its Deputy Chairman of Operations, Samuel Tettey. The EC announced that the rerun of the parliamentary election in 19 polling stations within the Ablekuma North Constituency would take place on Friday, July 11, 2025.
The decision was reportedly reached after a July 1 meeting with representatives of the two main political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The dispute originates from the December 7, 2024, general election. The NDC, which currently holds the majority in Parliament, rejected results from 37 polling stations, alleging that the scanned Pink Sheets used were not adequately verified and were suspiciously submitted by the NPP. The party insisted that elections be rerun across all 37 centres.
In contrast, the NPP argued that only three polling station results were left uncollated and maintained that the scanned results had already been verified in the presence of NDC agents.
The EC clarified that the original Pink Sheets were destroyed after violence broke out at the collation centre. In response, scanned versions were used to complete the process. However, to restore confidence in the outcome, the Commission decided to rerun the vote in 19 of the most disputed polling stations.
