I can’t continue with Ablekuma-North Constituency re-collation – Returning Officer

 Mr Vincent Obeng, the Returning Officer for the Ableku­ma-North Constituency, says he cannot con­tinue with the re-collation of the disputed parliamentary results due to “frustration” and chaos that has characterised the exercise.

The EC on Wednesday sus­pended the re-collation exercise for Ablekuma-North for the fifth consecutive time after hours of altercation over the validity of the statement of results sheets for the collation.

The results for three polling stations are outstanding.

The EC cannot declare the re­sults unless the remaining three are verified and added to the tabulated results.

The Commission said it would communicate its next line of action in due course.

The EC has been relying on the scanned copies of the statement of results sheets from the political parties to collate the results for some 62 polling stations whose pink sheets got missing following the close of polls.

For some 20 polling stations results that could not be verified independently by the Returning Officer, he summoned the Return­ing Officers in the effected polling stations to assist with the authen­tication.

Ahead of Wednesday’s re-colla­tion, there were seven outstanding polling station results yet to be verified.

After hours of heated exchanges between agents of the New Patri­otic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Commission was able to authenti­cate the results for four out of the seven outstanding polling stations.

Mr Obeng, who was visibly exhausted by the turn of events, expressed frustration about the protracted impasse and urged the Commission to find a new Return­ing Officer to complete the work.

“It is so unfortunate for me to make this statement that I am done with Ablekuma North. They should find a new Returning Officer to continue their work for them,” he said.

Dr Serebour Quaicoe, Director of Training, EC, said the Commis­sion would engage the Returning Officer to rescind his decision.

“The EC has no interest in who becomes the Member of Parlia­ment for Ablekuma North,” he said.

Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie, the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Ablekuma-North, said her independent collation suggested that she was leading by more than 300 votes.

“I will fight till the end because I know I won,” she told journalists.

However, Mr Musah Kalamu, Ablekuma-North Constituency Or­ganiser, NDC, said the Party would not accept the results for the 62 polling stations in contention.

“We want a rerun of the elec­tions in the 62 polling stations. We cannot accept the scanned copies of the results presented by the NPP,” he said.

—GNA