Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Mustapha Gbande, has lashed out against critics within the New Patriotic Party, urging them to confront him directly rather than hiding behind unfounded allegations.

Mr Gbande was on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show to debunk claims by the Minority Caucus in Parliament, led by Alexander Afenyo-Markin, that he and NDC Deputy National Communications Officer Malik Basintale incited chaos during the July 11 polls at Ablekuma.

He said, “I am not a coward. Even if my name appears on their list, I am not afraid of anyone in the NPP. If you want to come after me, do so directly. But don’t accuse me of something I haven’t done.”

The NDC Deputy General Secretary further chided the NPP for the hasty release of a statement that was not backed by fact.

“Administratively, you don’t rush to release statements without proper information. I showed the Minority Leader evidence that he was misled, but he still insisted on his claims,” Gbande stated.

He has also addressed a move by the NPP, circulating posters of NDC members with inscriptions reading “wanted, alive or dead.”

He warned the minority that they would be held responsible if anything happens to the boys whose posters are in circulation.

“If anything happens to any of our boys, we will hold the NPP responsible. Their party headquarters is not a police station,” he warned.

The Electoral Commission (EC) held an election in 19 polling stations of the Ablekuma North to provide its constituents with a representative after the 2024 parliamentary elections.

However, voting in two polling stations, the Odorkor Methodist 1 polling station and St. Peters polling station in the constituency, was suspended and later continued following chaos.

At the Odorkor Methodist 1 polling station in the Ablekuma North constituency, some individuals engaged in a fisticuff with the police personnel. Also, a JoyNews journalist was slapped by an unknown individual.

Former Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and Member of Parliament for Ewutu Senya East Constituency, Hawa Koomson, was also assaulted by a group of men during the election.

In a video gone viral, a man lunged at Hawa Koomson, pushing her to the ground. Another person was seen kicking her.

The Police officers present intervened and prevented further attack against Hawa Koomson.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has interdicted one of its officers who was caught on camera slapping a journalist with GH One Television, Banahene Agyekum, during the rerun election at Ablekuma North.

In line with internal disciplinary procedures, he has been referred to the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) for investigation.

The officer concerned has been withdrawn from the ongoing election duty at Ablekuma North.

The Police have assured the public that a thorough investigation will be conducted into the matter and further updates will be communicated.

It is unknown what exactly transpired between the reporter and a group of police officers that led to him being slapped.

The Police officer's action has been condemned by all, including the mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, who witnessed the unfortunate incident.

Engaging the media after the assault, Banahene Agyekum expressed distress and pain.

“Yes, (I won’t be able to continue work today) because my right eye is shaking and I don’t know what happened to my forehead. I have to go for a medical checkup,” he stated.

The Electoral Commission (EC) is holding an election in 19 polling stations of the Ablekuma North to provide its constituents a representative after the 2024 parliamentary elections.

After the 2024 polls, Ablekuma North remained the only constituency in Ghana without a sitting MP, due to unresolved disagreements over the outcome of the parliamentary vote.

On December 10, 2024, three days after the national polls, the EC declared Ewurabena Aubynn of the NDC the winner of the Ablekuma North parliamentary seat, defeating the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Nana Akua Owusu Afriyieh.

However, the EC later revoked the announcement, revealing that results from 62 of the 281 polling stations had not been included in the initial collation.

Efforts to restart the collation in January 2025 were disrupted by multiple challenges.

These included interruptions due to the submission of unverified pink sheets and a violent intrusion at the collation centre that heightened security concerns.

The Electoral Commission (EC), after extensive deliberations, in July noted that it will hold the rerun election because the 19 scanned polling station results used for the collation, though approved by agents of both political parties, were not verified by the presiding officers responsible for those polling stations.

The EC arrived at this decision after it met with the representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Tuesday, July 1.

Ahead of today's election, the EC called on the Ghana Police Service to provide the needed security to ensure a safe environment for the conduct of the election.