The former Member of Parliament of Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, was denied entry to the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, the venue where the rerun for the Council of State elections for the Ashanti Region was being held.
The police, who enforced strict rules and guidelines, justified their actions by stating that the former lawmaker did not have the necessary accreditation to enter the premises where the voting exercise was taking place.
The premises, which were heavily guarded by police, saw the attendance of several prominent political figures from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) earlier on Monday, February 17, 2025.
Among them were former Education Minister Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, former Bantama MP Henry Kwabena Kokofu, and Kwadaso MP Kingsley Nyarko.
However, all of them were turned away after being denied entry.
The police maintained that only accredited individuals, particularly assembly members eligible to vote, were allowed access to the voting hall.
Although the reason for the presence of these prominent figures remains unclear, it is believed that they were there in solidarity with some of the candidates vying for positions in the Council of State elections.
The heavy security presence and strict measures were implemented to ensure a smooth voting process, following the violence and chaotic scenes that marred the first round of polling.
On February 11, 2025, chaos erupted at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council right after voting had ended.
A gang of unidentified thugs broke into the polling center and disrupted the sorting and counting of ballots.
Witnesses said the attackers stormed the venue, knocked over tables, destroyed ballot boxes, and scattered voting papers, forcing Electoral Commission officials to halt the exercise.
Supporters who were unhappy with the results allegedly instigated the violence, demanding a review of the outcome.
Although a sizeable number of police personnel were present at the venue, they struggled to contain the situation as tensions flared, prompting a temporary suspension of the election proceedings.
The violent altercation left several media personnel injured, including GhanaWeb’s Ashanti Regional Correspondent, Gideon Nana Peprah.
Sharing his ordeal with Etsey Atisu, Peprah recounted how about seven well-built men stormed the venue without provocation and began assaulting electoral officers.
“Men from nowhere just stormed the place. They rushed to the grounds where the electoral officers were sorting and counting. Suddenly, they started scattering everything including the ballots, prepared ballot papers, and tally sheets. Then, at some point, they even started attacking each other, which left us confused about what was happening,” he narrated.
According to him, while trying to leave the chaotic scene, the men approached him, accused him of filming the incident on his phone, and demanded that he delete the footage.
“I was attacked by about seven or eight of them. They claimed they saw me taking videos and ordered me to delete them. Before I could react, they seized my phone and overpowered me,” he added.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
