Ablekuma North Election Dispute: Jean Mensa Has No Business Overseeing Ghana’s Elections – Gbande Fires EC Boss
The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of gross incompetence following its failure to declare the results of the disputed Ablekuma North parliamentary elections months after the 2024 general polls.
The delay has drawn widespread criticism and concern, including a passionate appeal from Inspector General of Police, Christian Tettey Yohuno, urging the Commission to swiftly resolve the prolonged impasse.
Ablekuma North remains the only constituency in Ghana without a sitting Member of Parliament, as disputes over the outcome of the parliamentary vote continue to stall the official announcement.
Speaking on Starr Today with Tutuwaa Danso, NDC’s Deputy General Secretary Mustapha Foyo Gbande called on the Electoral Commission to expedite the resolution process to safeguard electoral integrity and public confidence.
“We are at a crossroads, and while I may not be the one to offer a definitive solution, I must strongly state that Jean Mensah should have no involvement in overseeing our elections. The team of Commissioners currently at the Electoral Commission should equally be nowhere near our electoral process if we are truly committed to preserving our democracy and ensuring free, fair, and credible elections in this country. These individuals lack the competence necessary to manage such a critical national exercise,” he said.
Gbande further criticized the EC for ongoing delays in local elections, questioning the capacity of its leadership.
“Consider this: even now, assembly elections are still ongoing in parts of the country. Isn’t that surprising? Isn’t it bizarre—even strange—that more than a year after the process began, some areas are still conducting assembly elections under the supervision of Jean Mensah, Bossman Asare, and others within the Commission? This is unacceptable.”
He stressed that while he wouldn’t definitively call for a new Commission, the current leadership lacks credibility and is unfit to manage the electoral process without generating avoidable conflict.
“The NDC has made several attempts to engage the Electoral Commission for clarity on our standing in certain constituencies. Yet, they have consistently refused to respond. We even went further to request a meeting with the Inspector General of Police, only to find out that the EC had met with the election task force without the involvement of any political parties. How does that make sense? Clearly, someone is being deliberately evasive and mischievous,” Gbande added.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Kathleen Addy, has appealed for calm and urged the public to respect the final outcome.
“My message to the people of Ghana, particularly the people of Ablekuma North, is that we are in a democracy, and elections are part of the democratic system. In every election, there is a winner and a loser—there is no middle ground,” she stated.
“Even in the general election, we had a winner and a loser. I want to urge the people of Ablekuma North to accept the results when declared. This is the way to build democracy.”
Source: Ghana/StarrFM 103.5FM/Benjamin Sackey
