Political analyst Dr. Abdul-Jalilu Ateku has called on the Ghana Police Service to swiftly arrest and prosecute all individuals involved in violent incidents during the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun, including former Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Mavis Hawa Koomson.
His comments come after some thugs stormed the St Peter’s polling station during the parliamentary rerun in the Ablekuma North Constituency, assaulting several people, including former Fisheries Minister, Hawa Koomson, in the process.
The violence temporarily halted voting at the Polling station until the Police were able to restore calm.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue, Dr. Ateku expressed deep concern over the conduct of certain political actors during the election, describing their behaviour as a threat to Ghana’s democratic stability.
He emphasized that individuals captured on video committing criminal acts should have already been apprehended by the police.
“I think that especially the lady that was involved, we do know her history in Awutu Senya East where she said she discharged her gangs because of some safety issues. And here again she came to another electoral environment with a pepper spray, what was her motive. Is it the possibility of them having some weapons.
As we are saying that people should be arrested, when you have people on video clearly committing certain crime, I think the police should have picked them up by now including the lady in question if only she is stable because once she went to the polling station with a weapon, that should be of interest to the police to know why,” he stated.
Dr. Ateku’s remarks come amid growing public concern over electoral violence and impunity, especially involving high-profile political figures.
Ewurabena Aubynn of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the rerun with 34,090 votes, narrowly defeating the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Nana Akua Afriyie, who polled 33,881 votes.
Ablekuma North rerun: We’ll deal with all troublemakers – Police
