- Former MP Dr. Dickson Kissi cites NPP’s indecision as cause for low voter turnout
- Rerun held on July 11 after EC flagged collation irregularities in 19 polling stations
- Nana Akua Afriyie contested the rerun despite NPP’s official boycott
Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, former MP for Anyaa Sowutuom, has blamed the low voter turnout in the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun on the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) indecisiveness and lack of direction ahead of the vote.
Appearing on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV on Tuesday, July 15, Dr. Kissi explained that confusion among voters stemmed from the party’s shifting position on whether to participate in the rerun, which negatively impacted its electoral performance.
“I must admit the party lacked decisiveness in the lead-up to the rerun, and that likely played a role in the low turnout,” he said. “People were unsure about our participation. Bad news spreads faster—once you say you’re not going, word spreads quickly. But when you decide to participate and start campaigning, then people begin to notice.”
Dr. Kissi also accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of deliberately engaging in voter suppression tactics. He claimed there were widespread acts of intimidation, which he described as a strategic effort to weaken the NPP’s support in what has traditionally been a stronghold constituency.
“What happened in Ablekuma North was a textbook case of voter suppression,” he alleged. “This is an area where the NPP is dominant, so the best way for the NDC to compete is through intimidation and suppression. This was a clear, orchestrated scheme.”
His remarks follow reports of violence during the rerun on Friday, July 11, which was held across 19 polling stations. The Electoral Commission (EC) called for the rerun after identifying irregularities in the collation process, particularly the failure of some presiding officers to validate scanned pink sheet results.
The rerun became a contentious issue between the EC and the NPP. Party General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong publicly rejected the Commission’s decision, insisting that NPP candidate Nana Akua Afriyie had won the initial vote and that all proper procedures were followed.
Despite the party’s decision to boycott the rerun, Nana Akua Afriyie went against the directive and contested. She was narrowly defeated by the NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn, who secured 34,090 votes to Afriyie’s 33,881.
Following the result, Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie issued an unreserved apology to the NPP’s National Council for defying the party’s directive.
