By Kekeli K. Blamey
Adidome (V/R), July 30, GNA – Mr Guggisberg Fiagbenu, an aspirant in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Central Tongu Constituency Chairmanship election, has petitioned the Electoral Commission (EC), alleging procedural irregularities during the conduct of the constituency executive election and called for a review of the process.
The petition, addressed to Madam Comfort Amoah, the District Electoral Officer of the Electoral Commission in Central Tongu, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), centered on the handling of a disputed ballot paper during the sorting and counting of votes, which the petitioner contended raised concerns about the transparency, fairness and credibility of the electoral process.
The petition said after the election was conducted on Saturday, July 11, 2026. Mr Fiagbenu stated that at about 0001 hours on Sunday, July 12, during the sorting and counting of ballots, a ballot paper bearing a vote for candidate number two in the chairmanship contest, was discovered in another ballot box, believed to be that designated for the First Vice Chairmanship election.
He alleged that upon the discovery, officials of the Electoral Commission consulted representatives of the various candidates present at the counting centre on whether the ballot paper should be transferred and added to the Chairmanship ballots for counting.
Mr Fiagbenu said his accredited agent, Mr Agordorku Seth, objected to the proposal and questioned the propriety of counting a ballot paper that had been found in a ballot box designated for a different election.
The petitioner said following the objection, Electoral Commission officials directed police officers providing security at the venue to remove his agent from the counting area.
He further alleged that his agent was physically assaulted by some of the police personnel during the removal and was prevented from participating in the remainder of the counting process.
Mr Fiagbenu contended that after the removal of his representative, the disputed ballot paper was counted in the Chairmanship election without any accredited representative acting on his behalf.
“Following his removal, the Electoral Commission proceeded to count the disputed ballot without my representation, thereby preventing me from having an accredited agent present to observe and safeguard my interests during a critical stage of the electoral process,” portions of the petition stated.
The petitioner maintained that the incident raises questions regarding adherence to established electoral procedures and the equal treatment of candidates throughout the process.
He had therefore requested the Electoral Commission to clarify whether it was procedurally appropriate to include a ballot paper discovered in a different ballot box in the Chairmanship count after a formal objection had been raised.
Mr Fiagbenu also asked the Commission to explain why he, as an affected candidate, was not consulted before the decision was taken and whether the removal of his accredited agent was consistent with the principles of transparency, fairness and due process governing elections.
Additionally, he wanted the Commission to outline the administrative measures it intended to take to address concerns regarding the credibility and acceptability of the election outcome arising from the incident.
The petitioner stressed that his action should not be interpreted as an attempt to undermine the authority or independence of the Electoral Commission but rather as an effort to seek accountability, procedural clarity and assurances that electoral rules were applied consistently to all contestants.
“The credibility of every democratic process rests on the confidence of all participants that rules are fairly applied and that every candidate is given equal opportunity to protect their mandate,” the petition said.
Mr Fiagbenu has also appealed to the Electoral Commission to undertake a prompt review of the matter and institute appropriate administrative measures to forestall similar incidents in future internal party elections.
The Ghana News Agency’s efforts to obtain comments from the Electoral Commission and other parties mentioned in the petition were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/ Christabel Addo