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An Accra High Court has dismissed an application filed by the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie, seeking to block the scheduled rerun of elections in 19 polling stations.
In the suit, filed on Monday, 7 July 2025, the NPP candidate challenged the legality and rationale behind the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision, describing it as “arbitrary and unreasonable” and a violation of her constitutional rights.
During proceedings on Wednesday, 9 July, presiding judge, Justice Ali Baba Abature, dismissed the motion for an interim injunction, ruling that the application lacked merit. He held that the balance of convenience favoured the EC’s constitutional duty to ensure representation for the constituents of Ablekuma North.
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In court, Counsel for the applicant, Gary Nimako, argued that following a High Court ruling on 4 January, the EC had, on multiple occasions, acknowledged that only three polling stations remained to be collated.
He contended that the decision to rerun 19 polling stations was unjustified and amounted to a direct affront to the authority of the court.
He further emphasised that all "pink sheets" from the polling stations in question had already been signed and certified by party agents and presiding officers at the time of the original election, rendering any rerun both unnecessary and unlawful.
Although the EC was not present in court to respond—given that the motion was filed ex parte—Justice Abature queried whether the applicant had clearly demonstrated that the results could legally be collated without further verification by presiding officers, as required under the provisions of C.I. 127.
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In delivering his ruling, Justice Abature reaffirmed that the EC holds the constitutional mandate to conduct elections, and any delay in the rerun could deprive the people of Ablekuma North of their right to representation in parliament.
He further noted that, as a state institution, the EC would be in a position to compensate the applicant with damages if she were to succeed in the substantive case.
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Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission has scheduled the rerun for Friday, 11 July 2025, although the NPP has indicated its intention to boycott the exercise.