- EC official arrested for taking ballot photo
- Incident occurs during Special Voting exercise
- NDC demands official face full rigor of law
A temporary official of the Electoral Commission (EC) was arrested on Monday, December 2, 2024, during the Special Voting exercise in Bimbilla, Northern Region, after allegedly taking a photograph of his ballot.
The incident reportedly occurred when the official, identified as Gerti Justice, was accused of capturing an image of his ballot paper. According to reports from Accra-based ChannelOne TV, the arrest was triggered by concerns raised by agents of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who were present at the polling station.
Atta Napari Suale, the parliamentary candidate for the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), confirmed the incident, stating that Justice admitted to the offense during police interrogation. As a result, it was agreed that Justice’s name would be removed from the list of officials on duty for the Special Voting exercise.
After extensive discussions, Justice was released. However, the NDC expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome and insisted that he should face the full consequences of the law.
The incident in Bimbilla is part of a wider pattern of concerns during the Special Voting exercise. In the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency, one individual was arrested for attempting to photograph his ballot, while a second incident led to an altercation between a voter and independent candidate Abdul Rauf Abugri Mumuni.
Additionally, the NDC raised concerns about similar occurrences in the Ayawaso Central constituency, although further details were not immediately available.
