Special voting: Tensions erupt at Koforidua Police Headquarters over voting perimeter dispute
Tensions erupted at the Koforidua Police Headquarters during the special voting exercise in the Eastern Region when Tijani Mikano, the New Juaben South Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), clashed with security personnel. Mikano resisted instructions to leave the restricted voting perimeter, arguing that he would comply only if a representative of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), allegedly campaigning near the voting area, was also removed. According to Mikano, the Electoral Commission (EC) had set boundaries for political representatives to distance themselves from voters, but he claimed the NPP representative violated these rules by campaigning in the queue. His subsequent actions escalated tensions, drawing the attention of voters, security personnel, and EC officials.
Presiding officer Darlington Annan later clarified that the NPP representative had been asked to leave for causing a disturbance. However, this action was misinterpreted by the NDC team, leading to the altercation. Annan explained that the misunderstanding stemmed from the NDC’s belief that the NPP representative was interfering with the voting process rather than complying with instructions. Electoral Commission officials and the police intervened to defuse the situation, convincing both parties to leave the premises. Calm was eventually restored, and the voting exercise continued without further incident.
Meanwhile, voting in the Western Region proceeded without significant challenges. Although both the Eastern and Western regions faced earlier delays due to the Electoral Commission recalling and reprinting ballot papers after detecting errors, the special voting process resumed smoothly, ensuring voters could exercise their franchise.
