– Court Greenlights Rerun, Party Panics
The last vestige of hope for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to cling to the contentious Ablekuma North parliamentary seat has been ruthlessly extinguished.
In a devastating blow, the High Court has thrown out their desperate last-ditch attempt to halt the impending rerun of elections, paving the way for a July 11 showdown that insiders fear will seal the party’s fate.
Justice Ali Baba Abature, in a no-nonsense ruling, dismissed the application for an interim injunction filed by NPP’s parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie, who sought to block the rerun in 19 polling stations.
The judge, in a move that will surely sting the NPP, branded the injunction request “unmeritorious,” stressing that the Electoral Commission (EC) must be allowed to fulfil its constitutional mandate and ensure the people of Ablekuma North are properly represented.
This ruling is a massive victory for the EC, effectively giving them the green light to proceed with the crucial rerun, a process designed to finally bring closure to the chaotic December 7, 2024, parliamentary election results in the constituency.
NPP’s Shaky Legal Play Dismantled
Nana Akua Afriyie had argued that the EC’s rerun plan brazenly violated a High Court judgment from January 4, 2025, which, she claimed, instructed the Commission to simply collate results from 62 outstanding polling stations and declare a winner from the already-held elections.
Her legal team, led by NPP counsel Gary Nimako, even trotted out EC’s own past statements – a January 27, 2025 press release and a parliamentary update by Deputy EC Chair Dr. Bossman Asare – which seemingly suggested only three polling station results remained uncollated. The implication? A rerun was entirely unnecessary.
But Justice Abature was having none of it. He decisively ruled that these “submissions were insufficient to override the EC’s constitutional obligation to complete the electoral process,” a clear affirmation of the EC’s right to uphold the democratic will of the Ablekuma North voters.
Panic Grips NPP as Boycott Looms
The court’s decision has sent shockwaves through the NPP, exposing a deep-seated fear of losing the Ablekuma North rerun. This palpable anxiety has already triggered a dramatic response: the party has announced a boycott of the July 11 rerun.
NPP General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, defiantly rejected the EC’s rerun decision, ludicrously insisting that their candidate, Akua Afriyie, “rightfully won” the 2024 election. Such pronouncements reek of desperation and a party unwilling to face the democratic consequences.
Analysts Predict Doom for NPP
Adding to the NPP’s woes, top political analyst Musah Danquah, Executive Director of Global Info Analytics, has poured cold water on any NPP hopes. Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Tuesday, July 9, 2025, Danquah unequivocally predicted a likely loss for the NPP to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the upcoming rerun.
Danquah didn’t pull any punches, stating that the NPP’s boycott threats would have “little to no impact” on the outcome, primarily because “enthusiasm among the party’s base is already at a low point.”
He highlighted a significant decline in morale and motivation among NPP supporters in the constituency, rendering their ability to effectively mobilize voters virtually nonexistent.
Even without a boycott, Danquah asserted, the party would have struggled to achieve meaningful turnout. He pointed to long-standing signs of voter apathy, concluding that the “current political climate in Ablekuma North was more favourable to the NDC.”
Based on “available data and the mood on the ground,” Danquah’s grim assessment for the NPP is clear: they are “on course to lose to the NDC.”
The stage is set for a political upset in Ablekuma North, and the NPP, it seems, can only watch as their grip on power potentially loosens further.
BY PRINCE AHENKORAH
